


Dear Eliza

by AgentDanaZagreusScully



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: 2017 Pennywise, Biting, Eventual Romance, F/M, Human Pennywise (IT), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pennywise (IT) Being an Asshole, Pennywise (IT) is His Own Warning, Smut, penny doesn’t do condoms, slight of hand
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-01-05 12:04:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21208235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentDanaZagreusScully/pseuds/AgentDanaZagreusScully
Summary: Eliza thought she was lucky to survive the year after her fifth birthday with an all powerful fear demon masquerading as a clown roaming around town.Twenty-Seven years later, she isn’t so sure she was lucky. The homicidal clown is back and he has not forgotten about the little girl that got away. He has not forgotten his dear Eliza.





	1. Happy Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y’all enjoy!

_ Saturday, October 27, 1962 _

Thunder clapped outside the Mclaughlin Funeral home as fat raindrops pummeled the old rooftops of Derry Maine. It was noisy wet and miserable outside but that did not carry into the family-run funeral home. 

Inside it was cozy and warm. Plush couches and chairs with knitted doily covers and tables with beautiful silk flowers were arranged pleasantly around the room. The wallpaper, of course, was a ghastly salmon color in places that weren’t wood paneling and the floor was a mustard yellow. It was ugly really but cozy all the same.

The scribbling of a pen on paper could be heard in the back foyer and would be traced to a small girl who might have started school this year. On a tan pamphlet advertising burial and casket options, plump fingers drew flowers and hearts and balloons and happy faces.

Happy faces seemed to cover every corner in fact. Perhaps it was the need for her to fill the home with happiness in spite of the sadness and sobbing that had filled the appointment room all morning and afternoon. Her grandfather was in another meeting today. Another couple, this time burying a little boy instead of a little girl like last appointment. 

As a violent sob tore through the house, the girl did not pause but to turn her little sheet over and begin filling up the blank spaces. Again with the smiling faces, but they smiled wider with each face. Some...had teeth. Not your nice teeth a four-year-old might want to draw, but something they might wake up in tears over. The little girl with doe brown eyes and black ringlets did not seem to mind the frightening smiles she drew, as her dimples deepened on her cheeks with her own grins.

It was a simple time, how the girl spent her weekends. She would color on pamphlets while her grandfather spoke to crying people. She always looked nice on the weekends next to her grandfather in his suits. She was a McLaughlin, and with as many deaths as there were in Derry...her family was rich with all of the funeral services. Red was her color, frilly collars or stiff buttons, her dress was always red. 

Today was no different to her, except for today was her birthday. It was one she would not soon forget.

_ “Eliza…” _

The little girl who had been lying flat on her belly smiling at her pamphlet rolled onto her back and sat up with a start. “Papa?” Her eyes darted around then down the foyer but her ears perked up when they heard her grandfather's voice still filtering out of the appointment room. She wasn’t allowed in the appointment room when the crying people came so he wouldn’t have called her. 

With a pout, the young girl shook her head and flopped back onto her stomach. She huffed and started underlining random words on her paper. 

Sorry. 

Loss. 

Peaceful. 

Float. 

Float. 

Float. 

Eliza. 

Eliza couldn’t read of course but she knew her name when she saw it. Her brow furrowed and she set her pen down. “Eliza...that’s me.” She smiled and promptly got up to show her grandfather that her name was on the papers he gave to the crying people. She skipped towards the door then stopped suddenly. Tapping her shiny black shoes together she remembered. “I’m not allowed to be in the room with the sad people.” Eliza frowned and swung her arms at her sides.

The girl didn’t want to forget where she saw her name so she held the pamphlet up to her nose and inspected her underlined words. Only. She didn’t see her name anymore. “What?” Her search for her name became frantic and she almost missed the door at the end of the hall slowly opening.

She dropped her paper and gasped. 

A red balloon.

Floating down the foyer towards her was a shiny red balloon. Eliza giggled. “It’s red! It’s my favorite color!” Her big eyes crinkled at the corners and she ran to grab the balloon. As if it knew what she wanted it stopped moving towards the girl, but instead moved back towards the door it had seemingly floated out from. 

“Don’t go!” Eliza ran after it as quick as she dared. She wasn’t supposed to run in the funeral home. She’d wake the dead, that’s what her older brother said when she asked why not. The toddler didn’t like to be woken up from her naps so she didn’t want to wake up the dead from theirs. 

Catching up to the balloon turned out not to be a difficult feat as her fingers wrapped around the string. “Got you.” Eliza smiled big as a Cheshire Cat.

_ “Eliza…” _

Clear as a bell she heard her name called. It had come from the half-open door just in front of her. She squeezed her fingers tight around her balloon. Maybe whoever let go of her balloon was calling her. She bit her little rosebud lips then pushed the door open all the way. Eliza let out a little whimper as she realized what door this was.

The carpet stopped at this door in favor of treated concrete. She shivered as her footsteps echoed around the room. It was a cold room, sparse and sterile. Two long tables were arranged at the center of it and between them with a slight slope, was a drain. Eliza did not like this room it was where her Mama worked. Not only was she not allowed in it, but the smell made her nose sting. 

Her eyes were drawn to a big heavy door on the far side of the room. The dead people took their naps in there before Mama made them look pretty for the sad people. She saw that the door was shut tight and the lock was still in place. Someone had called her name from here...but the room was empty.

Looking at her balloon then around once more she turned to leave.

_ “Eliza…” _

She spun and looked at the drain. It was coming from there. She heard her name come from the drain. The bravery of a child took her to the center of the room and had her kneeling on the floor to peek into the grate. “Hello? Who’s there?”

A laugh bubbled up from the drain and Eliza’s eyes grew big as saucers. “Oh! Hello Eliza! Did ya hear me calling for you?” There was no obvious source of the voice yet, just a funny voice from the drain. 

Eliza nodded quickly. “Uh-huh. My red ballo-“ 

“Your balloon! Yup yup it’s a present. A present from your friend ol Pennywise!” A manic laugh followed the statement as well as the sound of straining metal. “I heard it was your birthday! Yes, I did!”

She laughed along with the voice. “It is! It is! I’m this many!” Eliza showed her hand then blushed unsure if her new friend could see. “Five! I’m five!”

The sound of bells and again straining metal echoed out of the drain. “You’re a big girl now huh?” She nodded in agreement. “Too big for clowns?” The voice sounded worried, sad even. 

“No! I like clowns!” Eliza presses her face closer to the drain. “Are- are you a clown mister?” 

“Not Mister Eliza! Pennywise! I’m Pennywise the daaaancing clown!” The strange clown laughed again and Eliza swore he sounded closer than he had a few moments ago. “Oh boy! I can’t wait to give you your present.” 

She furrowed her brow and looked at her balloon. “But you gave me my balloon Mr. Pennywise. I don’t need another present.” 

“Of course you do! You’re the birthday girl.” The drain seemed to groan and Eliza stood up quickly and stumbled back. “The birthday girl gets aaaalll the presents.” The drain cover popped off and clattered onto the concrete floor causing Eliza to jump. Her little heart hammered in her chest as she watched the opening of the drain. 

One. Two. Three, four, five fingers came over the edge and wiggled hello to the little girl. More came out and she saw it was a gloved hand. It was a clown, a clown in the drain. Inch by inch a wrist then an arm reached out. While frilly and decorated with bells she was surprised to find the sleeve of his costume to be gray and not a bright color like orange or yellow. Maybe drain clowns were different. 

“Uh oh. Looks like I’m stuck, Eliza.” She could hear how sad the clown was he even started to cry. “Oh, now I’ll never be able to give you your present.” He sniffled and the arm seemed to sink back into the drain slowly. 

“No, wait!” She rushed forward and grabbed his hand with both of hers forfeiting her shiny red balloon to float away. It didn’t float away however, staying at the same height that she had let it go. “I can help. I’ll pull you out Mister Pennywise.” Eliza gripped his hand tight and pulled with all her might but the clown did not budge. 

The sniffling stopped and the clown grew quiet even as Eliza struggled to pull him up. His fingers slowly wrapped around her arm and tightened almost to bruising. “I have a better idea birthday girl! I’ll give you your present down here!” His voice was different now, mean and scary even. Eliza was not pulling him anymore but Pennywise was. 

Eliza screamed as his grip tightened and she did her best not to be pulled in by the clown. “I won’t fit Mr. Pennywise! I won’t!” Tears streamed down her face and she screamed. “Papa! Help! Papa!!!” 

She heard quick footsteps rushing towards her from the other room as her tug of war continued. Then, as soon as the door was breached by her grandfather the grip on her arm disappeared and she tumbled back onto the floor. 

“Elizabeth! Eliza!” He grabbed her into his arms and pulled her close. “What happened?! What’s goin’ on?” He shook her, her wailing still not having stopped. She was holding her arm and looking at the drain in horror. Ward McLaughlin looked at the drain and saw nothing out of place. There it sat untouched drain cover in place as it always had been. “Eliza calm down! Eliza!”

She cried for hours after that and her weekends were no longer spent at the funeral home with her grandfather. Eliza did not step foot into that embalming room again until she was sixteen and her grandfather passed. She saw the clown again before that though and it wouldn’t be the last time.


	2. Not Forgotten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in one night :)

_Monday, October 24, 1988_

Eliza stared at the drain in the middle of the room for quite some time, her breathing shallow and eyes devoid of emotion. Three more days and it would be exactly twenty-six years ago that a voice had called her name from that drain. She would never forget it or the creature it had belonged to. 

A hand on her shoulder shook her from her trance-like state and pulled her into the present. “Oh!” She looked over at the intruder and smiled bashfully. “S-sorry I was jus-“ 

“Just thinking about your imaginary friend?” A deep rumbling laugh knocked the rest of the chilly air from the woman as she focused on her brother. Elijah McLaughlin tugged his sister's braid and sat down on one of her work stools, the old wood creaking as he adjusted his suit. He looked like a model sitting there, brimming with confidence and grace. Her brother was the shining star of the McLaughlin family, Eliza did not envy him. 

“He- I mean IT wasn’t my friend.” She stated as she put the sunflower she had clutched in her hand back into the bucket with the others. Eliza crosses her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes when he just grunted at her response. “Let me guess, you have another funeral you need flowers for.” Her brother clicked his tongue in confirmation and tugged her floral scissors out of her apron to mess with. She huffed and let her eyes drift to the five spray stands she already had and the two casket pieces she had made last night. “I don’t know if I have time Eli, you might have to get a florist from out of Derry to help out.” 

Elijah unbuttoned the front of his blue blazer and frowned, running his long fingers through his short black hair. “Eliza, don’t say that, you can handle it. They want the best and the McLaughlin’s are the best, for flowers or funerals.” He twirled her scissors around his finger dangerously, his steel-gray eyes glaring into her soft brown ones. “It isn’t like you have anything to do this weekend, no kids, no boyfriend.” He grinned, making fun of her a little as he touched his wedding band absently. 

Her mood soured as she motioned to the arrangements around the room. “Yeah! I can handle it, but I shouldn’t have to.” Eliza grimaced. “I know the names of each person these belong to, I know every face.” She grit her teeth. “It isn’t about how many or the fact that I don’t have a fucking life, Elijah. I’m tired of making things for dead kids!” She bristled and it was the first time in weeks he noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the frazzled demeanor and the (at another time) humorously inside out shirt. 

Elijah cleared his throat and set her scissors on the table next to him. He looked disappointed with his sister, to say the least. “Eliza…it’s not that bad.” He pointed a finger at her and shook his head. “Last time I checked, you weren’t working at the funeral home. You don’t have to see them like I do. You don’t think I’m tired of seeing them too?” He rolled his eyes. “You wanted to do something different, didn’t want to run the family business with me. Decided to work with dying plants instead of people. I never judged you. I’m busier than you are here, hell you live upstairs! Quit complaining!” 

She gave him a look as if he had slapped her then looked down to the concrete floor covered in stems and petals. “Fine. Alright Elijah, just give me the ticket and flip the closed sign on your way out.” Eliza reached down and slid the bucket of sunflowers towards the far table near the cooler. “Oh, and will you tell mom I have plans on my birthday? I’m meeting a friend from school.” She didn’t want to look back at him, they were both stressed out and she didn’t like yelling at him. 

Elijah stood up and reached into his jacket to hand over the two slips for the next two funeral arrangements. “Eliza, I’m sorry...it has just been rough. You don’t have to have these ready for the next three days, why don’t you come over for dinner? Annie and I haven’t had you over in a long time and-“ 

She smiled and took the papers from him before shaking her head. “Promise me it isn’t meatloaf and I’ll leave my humble abode to be subjected to your wife trying to set me up with her coworkers at the shops.” His smile did not reach his eyes and he nodded. “I hope they find who’s doing this...for both our sakes.” 

Smoothing his suit and redoing the buttons he looked back towards the front. “Yeah, me too. The police are doing all they can. This will pass.” He honestly didn’t seem to care too much besides being overly busy with funerals. “I’ll call you when I’m headed home, I’ll give you a ride.” The man did not wait for his sister’s response and made his way out of the room and the old funeral home turned flower shop. He forgot to flip the sign like she’d asked as he made his way to the family’s new, larger funeral home next door.

—————

For the next couple hours, Eliza made the finishing touches to her arrangements. Two funerals tomorrow and two the next day, in between those were birthday and anniversary flowers, get well flowers and a few for Halloween. She dreaded Halloween for the sole fact that most of the funerals she was making arrangements for were for children. Whatever sicko killing kids was no doubt going to be on the prowl while they were all about trick-or-treating. The woman was exhausted and honestly, she needed to hire an assistant so she wouldn’t be wearing herself so thin.

She had not always been alone at the flower shop, in fact, there had been three others up until a year ago. Alas, nothing was permanent. Two older women had worked with her, Geraldine the owner of the old flower shop when she was younger and Opal who had been a friend of her mother’s. Opal had died in January from a heart attack while Geraldine had moved to Virginia with her son and his wife. She missed them but she had not been completely alone as she still had her youngest helper, Jessica. The girl had been quite the designer but she had wanted to leave Derry, go to college. It wasn’t as if Eliza would stop her, and Jessica had left in July.

She should have been looking for people to fill their places but if she were truly to think about that, she would realize she did not want help and that the work, no matter how hard, was a good distraction from everything else. Besides, she had the delivery driver to keep her company at times.

As the cooler took in her arrangements with open arms she finally looked at the papers her brother had given her. First: a full casket spray and a standing. spray for the visitation. Masculine, for a little boy, George Denbrough. Second: a half-casket spray. Feminine, she loved red, Eliza McLaughlin. 

**Eliza McLaughlin.**

She dropped the tickets like they were on fire and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Please...please no.” Eliza squeezed her eyes shut tight and took two deep breaths. She was fine, she was tired and that wasn’t her name she saw. Everything was fine. The chime of the front door went off and caused the florist to jump. “Dammit Elijah.” Leaving the papers on the floor she walked out of the design room that had once been an embalming room and sprinted out towards the showroom. 

The once mustard-colored carpet had been replaced with cool beige tile and the salmon wallpaper was ripped down in favor of a new deep green paint job. The wood paneling had stuck around for reduced cost and nostalgia the same as the old furniture in the lobby. 

“Coming,” Eliza mumbled as she wiped her already clean hands on her apron out of habit. Rounding the corner into the showroom did not cause her heart to fill with joy at the arrival of a customer. No. On the front counter was a muddy shoe. It was not new mud but caked-on dusty mud from years past. 

Her brown eyes searched the room and found no one. It was happening again...but how? She was an adult! She didn’t see scary clowns in the drains! Twenty-seven years! A small sob shook the small woman’s shoulders but her fear did not stop her from approaching the counter and looking closer at the shoe. It was hers, one she had lost when she had run away from her babysitter in Bassey park. 

It had been the second time she had seen the clown. Eliza had lost her shoe when running away. Now here it was with a red balloon tied to one of the laces. Her shaking hands wrapped around the shoe and the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She was being watched. She was not sure where the person was or who but the florist knew that there was a high chance she would not see them unless they decided to make themselves known. Her eyes followed up the string to the red balloon above. Written in sharpie in what seemed to her a child’s handwriting was: 

> _ Do not think I forgot about my dear Eliza. _

The balloon spun and more was written on the other side. 

> _ I dreamed about you Eliza. _

There was no more space for more writing but as the balloon turned there was more. 

> _ For twenty-seven years Pennywise dreamed about his dear Eliza. _

She took a step back and hit something solid and warm. A gloved hand wrapped around her throat as she froze in place. The woman shook like a leaf as another hand caressed her jaw. There was a rumbling behind her like a content purr and the smell of stale cotton candy filled her nose. Eliza shut her eyes tight and a tear slid down her freckled cheek.

“Did you dream about me Eliza?” 

The phone rang and the grip around her neck tightened before slipping away entirely. Eliza was alone. For the moment, the creature haunting her was gone. 

Refusing to open her eyes just yet, afraid of the reality where what had just happened was real and there might still be a shoe on her counter, she picked up the phone and nearly fell to the floor in relief when she heard her brother. 

“I’ll be right out.” Slamming the phone down into the receiver she grabbed her keys out of her apron and sped out of her shop and unfortunately the home she would have to return to tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goal is to post a chapter at least once a week.
> 
> I would love to hear from you!


	3. Not Meatloaf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pennywise is not done with his dear Eliza today~

_Monday, October 24, 1988_

Eliza was thankful for her brother and for his timing and as she ran to the truck she could see her face in the tinted window of his ‘77 Ford pickup. Her face was pale and her eyes wide. The passenger side door was cold, having been in the sun all day had done nothing to stop the autumn chill from gripping the metal. Her fingers wrapped around the handle in her haste to throw the door open and get in. The heat was blaring already and Elijah’s complaint about the weather was just around the corner of conversation. 

“Whoa whoa whoa?” Elijah grunted out as Eliza wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into the shoulder of his nice suit. “You see a ghost in there?” He laughed and tried without much success to push his sister off of him. “Hey, come on. Annie will get pissy with us both if you make us late.” He finally succeeded in squirming from her grip and grimaced as he stepped on the gas headed towards Witcham Street. “Lord, Eliza...what is up with you today? You yell at me when I’m just making talk then you act like you’ve not seen me in ten years.”

Eliza grit her teeth, stopping the comment she was prepared to level at him. “You said it before, we’re both just stressed Eli.” Her brother was eyeing her, low key telling her to buckle her damned seatbelt. Not wanting to deal with that line of talk she ripped her seatbelt down and slammed it into the lock. “Nothing wrong with wanting to hug your brother right?”

He cleared his throat with a harsh laugh. “We haven’t hugged one another in years. The last time you even cared about me was when granddad died.” He was exaggerating but not by much. Their relationship was not the most clear cut and civil. They had argued like cats and dogs as kids and tattled on one another as teens. For that not to be the case would have been odd for most siblings. Falling within that stereotype, Elijah scared off all of Eliza’s potential dates or boyfriends. The woman secretly blamed him for the fact that she hadn’t married a high school sweetheart right off of the graduation field. He knew it too and secretly blamed himself.

She slapped his shoulder which earned her a smirk. “You are such a liar Elijah.” With a snicker, Eliza relaxed into her seat as she watched the orange and yellow trees pass by in the dusky light. “Dinner isn’t meatloaf right?”

Elijah only rolled his eyes before turning off of Charter to Witcham. 

— 

Annie greeted the two of them at the door, bypassing her husband to wrap her pale arms around her sister-in-law’s shoulders. The woman couldn’t get too close on account of the pregnant belly she sported under her pale blue moo moo. Eliza patted her on the shoulder like the other woman was covered in something disgusting but returned her hug when Elijah glared at her in the living room. “It’s so good to see you, Annie.” She did her best to sound happy, unsure if she was pulling it off with Elijah greeting his other daughter Whitney. 

“It’s good to see you love!” The mother pulled away and only just missed the fact that Eliza looked sick when they were hugging. “You look so pretty today with your hair in that braid.” The apples of her cheeks were flushed a lively pink and her blonde bun was as impeccable as her made-up face. Eliza nearly laughed at the idiocy of her statement as the florist always wore her hair like this from work and she knew how she looked today. “A shame that pretty face isn't going out more with _ friends _.” She winked at Eliza and tugged her further into the house.

“Oh you know I don’t have time for guys Annie.” It wouldn’t work, no matter how many times she told the other woman that she was not looking for a husband or hell, a boyfriend she simply shrugged her off. The look Annie leveled at her confirmed tonight would be no different. 

Annie continued to talk to her with little to no response from Eliza, she was here to satiate his brother’s wife and to get a free meal, not to make conversation. Tonight’s dinner was indeed NOT meatloaf but it might as well have been. The nice Salisbury steak was tough and the gravy couldn’t hide that from any person at the table. The florist lied and claimed it was the best she’d had in a long time. Though it wasn’t technically a lie, as the last one she had had was from the microwave and it had not cooked properly. Well, honestly the poorly cooked TV Dinner was better. While leaving half of the steak on the plate she had eaten all of her mashed potatoes and gotten seconds of the green beans, a good example in that regard for Whitney who got seconds of her veggies as well. 

— 

Dinner dragged, and dragged, and _ dragged. _It got to the point that Eliza made to excuse herself to the bathroom just for a break away from Annie’s prattling. She did offer her brother a triumphant wink when he narrowed his eyes, knowing Annie’s attention would be on him until Eliza returned. 

The feeling of relief that washed over the woman as she exited the dining room was short-lived. She knew where the bathroom was, but the darkness of the hallway to get there made the feeling of being watched return. Eliza could feel her blood pressure rising and the beating of her frightened heart in her throat. “Shit…” Closing her eyes, she reached out and simply felt along the wall to get to the bathroom, the second door she touched would be the bathroom. She passed the first and sped up, knowing she would be at her destination in a few seconds. Only, the second door didn’t come. 

Eliza’s eyes flew open and she was in a pitch-black tunnel, knee-deep in dirty water. “What the fuck?” She spun around water splashing and tugging at her jeans. “Oh god…” Not allowing her body to freeze up, Eliza ran. It was hard, the water was cold and the depth of it was not a beneficial factor. She yanked her legs through the murky water and wrinkled her nose at the smell, she thanked God for the fact that it was not summer and the water was not warm. For a moment she feared that the blessing would fade away like some trick and the waters would begin to warm and the putrid smell of the sewers would intensify. Whatever entity had brought her here was gracious and allowed her to keep sprinting through freezing sewage.

The dim light of the tunnel never changed, the water never getting shallower and no sign of an exit revealing itself to her. Eliza felt the need to cry but she figured it wouldn’t change a damn thing. Even still, her legs began to scream for her to slow down, the pull of the water was too much and with her splashing the wet was getting to her. Her front and back were drenched in the cold gray water and her sneakers were in threat of slipping off with the muck caking them.

Maybe this was the wrong way? Maybe she needed to head back the other direction and test her luck there. Eliza had to stop either way to catch her breath. She put her hands on her thighs and leaned over to rest, coughing as her body shook with cold. She knew if she had the light to see her fingers that they would be pale or even blue. The thought caused her to curl her fingers against her jeans and purse her lips.

This had to stop, it wasn’t real. 

As soon as that thought breached her forebrain the sewer tunnel seemed to lighten. It was enough for her to see a little around her if she were to glance about, but that was not the purpose of the change in atmosphere. Looking into the gray water she saw twin golden lights reflected within and a shadow casting itself over her body. Spinning around brought her face to chest with a man, a thing, a clown that she was hoping was gone forever. 

“Hiya Eliza!” Even slightly hunched as he was, the clown was still many heads taller than the little florist. She had to look up to see into his eyes, eyes that now shone a content and friendly sky blue. “Did ya miss me? Did ya Eliza?” She bolted and she could have sworn that he growled. “Don’t be that way, Pennywise hasn’t been able to play in so long!” She did not hear the water splashing behind her over her own sounds of escape but she knew he was following. “I get it! We’re playing right now. Tag. Eliza wants to play _ tag _.” The clown's voice darkened, lowering into a growl. 

“No! Eliza does not want to play tag!” She felt the traitorous stinging of her eyes and knew it was only a matter of time before she was crying. “Fuck. Fuck!” She was so slow in this damn water and he was on her tail. 

_ Focus. _

_ Focus and Run you idiot! _

Working on picking her legs up higher to get further, faster seemed to be helping, she couldn’t feel him watching her anymore. Her laugh was caught in her throat as a gloved hand picked her up by her collar. 

“Tag.” With eyes still that deceptive sky blue, the clown smiled at her so that she could see his buck teeth and wide drool moistened lips. “I won Eliza.” He nodded three times in quick succession, fidgeting like he was going to burst out of his own skin at any given moment. “What do I get now? Do you want to chase me? Run. Run. _ Run? _” He did not seem to notice or care about her struggling against his grip if anything he held her tighter. “But I don’t want to run from Eliza. Pennywise spent so long trying to see her. Yes, he did!” His face turned into one of those sad clown caricatures and his shoulders shook as if he might cry. 

Suddenly. Earning a gasp from Eliza, he pulled her close, pressing his hot face into the crook of her neck. His other arm wrapped itself delicately around her waist as he inhaled deeply. He did not move as he took another deep breath of her scent in, only hugging her tightly to himself as she felt near molten drool slip down the front of her blouse. She was still fighting against him but his arms were like steel and stone. “You never answered me, Eliza.” His slick lips moved against the junction of her neck and shoulder. “Did you miss me?” Something wet and as hot as the drool still streaming down her front lanced out of the clown's mouth and over her pulse. “Tell me you did dear Eliza.” He sounded hopeful. “Oooohh...but don’t lie to your friend Pennywise.” He groaned the last request and Eliza felt vomit pushing it’s way up into her throat.

Lie and he would know. Tell the truth and she was unsure of what he would do. The gravity of her situation was not lost on her, his face was pressed very close to a place he could easily rip to shreds and he could probably squeeze the life out of her if he desired that instead. It did not do to keep him waiting however as his arms seemed to begin their crushing efforts. “Yes!” She sobbed out, “Yes, I missed you, Penny.” There, she had chosen to lie to the beast. If she died, she died and that was all she could do.

“Awww, but now you are lying to yourself.” He cackled and licked a long stripe of drool over her neck and up her jaw as he pulled back to look her in the face. “You think you lie to Pennywise but he can smell you. He knows that you missed him, He knows that you dreamed of him when he left for his long sleep.” His blue eyes flashed a rich yellow briefly. “And such yummy dreams they were. Oh! But did you think I could not see them while I was gone?” The clown’s face split into a wide grin with too many teeth. “I saw them, Eliza! I saw what you had me do.” His voice was patronizing and silky.

“Stop it! You’re a liar! I never-“

“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t lie.” The gold returned and he pulled her close again. “Sweet Eliza never lied to me when she was little, but you grew up didn’t you. You outgrew Pennywise. Call me Penny again Eliza. Don’t you remember how we played? How you _screamed. _” His teeth were sharp now as he pulled his lips back to show her. He relished how she shivered in his arms, eyes rolling back as he groaned, opening his mouth wider for her to see. His jaws snapped shut as if he had just remembered something and he tossed her to the ground. “Not now. Yes, for your birthday! It’s our anniversary after all.” She heard his excited clapping as her head went under the water.

Sudden courage overtook her as she resurfaced and she shouted at him. “Get it over with you asshole! If you plan to eat me do it!” Pennywise looked taken aback pressing his hands to his cheeks and she grit her teeth. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?” He tilted his head. “Huh?!”

Pennywise let out a roaring laugh and threw his head back. “Don’t play? But that’s what I love best!”

The tunnel went dark for just a hairbreadth before light nearly seared her unadjusted eyes.

— 

Eliza was standing in the bathroom doorway with a hand on her shoulder shaking her violently.

“Eliza! For god sakes woman!” Elijah’s angry voice assaulted her ears and she yanked away. “What is wrong with you!” He was angry but more than that he was scared. He remembered how Eliza was for the year after she turned five. He joked about it earlier when he had mentioned her imaginary friend but this was making his skin crawl. “You are scaring the hell out of me Elizabeth!” He saw Annie come into the hallway and he shouted her away. When it seemed to him Eliza was not paying him mind he smacked her. Elijah froze and tears clouded his sight. “I-“

“I-it’s fine Eli...I’m...I’m gonna go home ok?” She did not wait for him to answer as she skirted around him and dodged Annie to get to the door. She was already down the steps when the front door flew open to reveal Elijah. “Go back inside, I’m walking!”

“No you aren’t, I don't give a shit, there’s a curfew Eliza!” He was skipping steps as he sped up to grab her by her arm. “Get in the house! Get in the-“

Elijah was cut off by the barking of a little angry pomeranian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I would love to hear how I’m doing.


	4. How Could I Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend that Eliza didn’t remember having shows up.

_Monday, October 24, 1988_

Both Elijah and Eliza looked at the barking dog with shock and wide eyes. The little pomeranian did not stop barking its head off until Elijah relinquished his hold on his sister. The McLaughlin siblings were so focused on the dog that they did not see that it had a leash, a leash that was held in someone’s hand, and that someone was staring rather intently at Elijah’s hand slowly reaching for Eliza again. They did not notice the dog’s owner standing there in a maroon cable knit sweater and dark jeans tucked into boots until Eliza stepped away from her brother fully and looked up. 

“Oh…” “Is something the matter?” 

Both Eliza and the owner of the dog spoke at the same time. She looked over the man in front of her who had witnessed the argument between herself and her brother and blushed in embarrassment. He was handsome, stunningly so, with big blue eyes and high cheekbones. Light brown hair was flawlessly parted and his full lips, though currently pulled into a frown, were such a deep pink they could have been red. His skin was so flawless that Eliza felt like an old potato chip in his presence. 

Shoving her hands into her apron she still wore, she bit her lip. “We’re ok.” Her voice was small and obviously tired. The man looked back and forth between the two of them then nodded. “Suppose it’s none of my business anyhow, Penny just heard your friend here shouting and well...here we are.” He did not seem to be in the mindset to leave the two of them be much to Elijah’s distaste. 

“You’re right, this doesn’t concern you.” He narrowed his eyes. He was calming down from the episode earlier but he was not any less angry or in the position to be swayed. “What are you doing out anyway? There’s a curfew.” The man challenged the pet owner with a grimace as he took a step closer to Eliza, trying to corral her inside.

The man held up the leash he had wrapped around his left hand and smirked. “Unfortunately, dogs don’t care about curfews, and the last time I checked this psycho wasn’t after animals.” 

“What about you?” Eliza piped up. “You could be on their radar.” She didn’t know why she even said anything, she had been about to dash out into the night a few moments ago to walk all the way back to Main Street. 

The man winked, “I can handle myself, Eliza.” His smile warmed her to the core but she was confused.

“How do you know my name?” She took a tentative step closer to the man and his dog, the pomeranian coming forward to sniff at her shoes. She wondered if it could smell sewer water. She was somehow not wet from the watery tunnel but she still felt the dirt and grime clinging to her body. 

The man looked a little offended then chuckled. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me. We used to play together as kids. And we were in-“

“-english together at Derry High.” She finished for him as a blinding pain hammered into her mind. She remembered now, he sat behind her in tenth grade. She didn’t really talk to him, or anyone really. A loner. Like lost puzzle pieces, memories of this man flooded her brain. “I- Well shit...I don’t remember your name. I’m so bad with names.”

“Robert.” He reached to take her hand and held it firm. His hands were large, fitting for his size as he had to be over six feet. “Robert Gray.” He slid his other hand over the handshake and smiled deeper. Eliza felt as if she could get lost in those eyes. A familiarity nudged at her mind that sent goosebumps racing over her skin but the headache returned when she searched for anything past Robert Gray who she played with as a kid and had English with in high school. He relinquished his hold almost reluctantly then eyed Eliza’s brother.

“Well, Robert, as nice as this evening visit was...I was just about to drive my sister home. If you will excuse us.” Elijah reached for the woman at his side and the dog, Penny, began to growl. “Control that thing will you?” His tone was more annoyed than anything and he grabbed his sister's hand and tugged her towards the house. 

Eliza figured it was best to just let him take her back to the shop. He would feel better about it and she knew that in the long run, she would too. “Goodbye, Robert...It was nice to see you again.” She waved and he returned the gesture unmoving from his spot. The dog was quiet now, staring at Elijah with bright eyes. “You should come by and see me at the flower shop some time...I could give you the friends and family discount...for roses. Um...for a wife,” He had no ring that she saw, “or a girlfriend, or _ boyfriend _.” Why was she speaking right now! She wanted to yell at herself to stop.

“Single. I would love to see you again Eliza.” There was something darker behind his words but she was already being dragged over to the pickup truck and did not get to respond as Elijah opened the door for her and slammed it as she slid into her seat. 

The truck roared to life as soon as Elijah was in his driver's seat. He looked in the rearview mirror for the new stranger and did not find him. He must have gone already. Good. 

———

The ride home had been quiet and when she and her brother reached the front of the flower shop, he simply unlocked the doors and stared out the front of the windshield. Eliza thought she might try and apologize to reassure him that she was not, in fact, losing her god-given mind. It wouldn’t help, he was not going to be in the mood to hear any sort of excuses. Elijah would make up his own mind without any input from those around him, the same as always. Even knowing that she could say nothing to him, she sat in the truck for longer than necessary, fearing the darkness of her own home. However, the silence of her sibling was crippling and she knew she would need to get out before he decided to explode in her face. 

In the rush to leave his home she had not buckled her belt, she found that funny, because what would a seatbelt do to help her against the cosmic entity stalking her. She fumbled for the handle and eventually pushed the heavy door open sliding out of the cracked leather seat onto the sidewalk. His eyes met hers for the briefest of moments before she closed the door with enough force to make sure it latched. Eliza had expected him to drive off as soon as she was out but he did not, waiting until the woman reached the door of her shop and was safely inside before speeding off down the street.

Front door closed and locked, the only sound to be heard in the shop was the hum of the flower coolers and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer. She clutched her keys and let her forehead drop to rest on the front door. She just wanted to sleep. Sleep and not worry about the creature and its promised surprise for her birthday. He had called it an anniversary and she guessed that in a way it was. Twenty-seven years ago on her fifth birthday, they had met in the other room and she wondered if the present he was going to give her would be the same as the one he had laughed about in the drain. 

She rolled until her back was leaning against the door and looked into the darkness of her home. A timer had switched some lamps on already so she was not in complete darkness but the shadows still felt tangible and full. Eliza figured she could only stare at the room for so long before she would need to buck up and move so she went ahead and pushed off the door and headed for the stairs to her left. 

Her sneakers squeaked on the wooden steps, she was tired and still felt the burn of running in the sewers. Her grip on the railing was tighter because of this, her legs fighting her as they ached. Past the pain, she was glad at least that she didn’t smell like the sewer she might have even retired to bed with this good fortune but she needed a shower. Eliza could neither see nor smell the disgusting rot and filth of the watery cesspool she had been running around in, but she knew it was there. Just the thought of it made the woman want to scrub her skin off, she shivered.

The same mustard yellow carpet that had run through the first floor when she was little had not been replaced up here as it had downstairs and her feet dragged along the worn surface as she slumped into the bathroom. 

It was atrocious. Think of the worst bathroom design and run with it, take three steps back and that was this bathroom. Mustard carpet continued into the room so that the area in front of the old vanity sink was susceptible to being wet. The carpet was short so that helped some, but it was a nightmare when the pipes decided to misbehave. Which happened maybe twice out of the year, mainly in the winter when the ground froze. The vanity was made to match the paneling downstairs and the wood of the staircase, though while it tied the house together, it was dated and needed updating. 

A great divide was formed as a thin line of golden-colored metal stopped the carpet from fraying, and lead to peach colored linoleum around the toilet and her one favorite feature in the bathroom, the clawed tub. Looking at it, the tub seemed small but it was deceptive in the fact of depth. Eliza could sink her whole body into the tub from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. And sometimes she did, letting the water encompass her and hold her like some flotsam in the surf. 

The idea appealed to her greatly at this moment but as the approached the tub, her eyes were drawn to the drain. Thoughts of being thrown into the water of the tunnel by the clown rushed back to her. It had only been for a brief second, her head going under, but it was enough to make submergence, not at the top of her list. No, she would simply shower off and head to bed. 

She sighed, exhausted both physically and mentally. This clown, that creature would be the death of her. Eliza reached behind herself and untied her apron, hooking it on the towel rod on the back of the bathroom door. She didn’t bother to unlace her shoes, stepping on the heel and chucking them away. It would ruin them quicker, doing that, but in all honesty, she had bigger things to worry about. Shimmying out of the rest of her clothes was thoughtless and quick, she only paused to look at her shirt which was inside out as she had tugged it off. The florist chided herself but tossed it down like the rest of it. 

Bare and standing in the small bathroom she felt a momentary peace, she felt alone for once in the last few days. This feeling of blissful solidarity made her realize that she had been being watched for weeks, that this had all started the first week of October. IT had been watching her, waiting for its moment to reveal itself. Eliza wrapped her arms around her body, digging her fingers into her sides as she took a deep breath in through her nose. How much had it seen? How much did it know? It knew enough to taunt her today. Dreams she had not even pondered since puberty were being shoved into her face by the clown. 

But why was it not watching her now at her most vulnerable? Was it being a decent creature, giving her privacy? She thought not, as it had pried into her most private of dreams and used them against her. She grit her teeth, he was supposed to have been fake, an imaginary nightmare companion from when she was five. Her thoughts and odd fantasies about that creature when she was a teenager were just that, fake. How could she think of that thing as real, tangible, something she would want? But it was real, Pennywise was real and he had every intention of making her see that.

Eliza shook herself out of her thoughts and growled, whether his lack of supervision was a fluke or not she was not about to waste it. She intended to wash up and actually get some sleep tonight. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Yes the dog's name is Penny...how subtle.
> 
> My plan is to post new chapters every Saturday from now on~


	5. Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza’s new (old) friend drops in for a visit.

_ Wednesday, October 26, 1988 _

It was nearly mid-day and not a whiff of the entity known to Eliza as Pennywise had greeted her, even Elijah had kept his distance. After the events that took place in her brother's home, she had been stress-free and calm for the next day. She hadn’t felt the need to look over her shoulder every five seconds and she did not find herself staring into the drain in the middle of the room at odd times of the workday. Really, in seven hours it would have been two whole days without incident. Eliza might have joked about putting that on a board somewhere, ‘Days without incident: 2’, but she knew that that would have bitten her in the butt. 

Currently, she was having some downtime. Eliza had completed her pre-orders for today and had sent the delivery driver out twenty minutes ago, she had finished making her vases and grids for the next day and now she deserved a moment to eat something and catch up on her summer...now fall, reading. There was something to be said about working in the same building as your home. She never forgot her umbrella or had to worry about spilling something on herself then having nothing to change into. Another bonus, she never had to pack a lunch. 

At the current time, Eliza was bumming it with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with some pretty crisp grape soda. She had not escaped upstairs to her apartment, no matter how bored she had become. It was still work hours and she had five hours of work to go. She knew better than to assume no one was going to come in, there was always the one or two customers that did not preorder and wanted something made up in three minutes. She even took pickup orders until 4 pm so no breaks, for now, to take a nap or dance in her underwear to Aerosmith. 

Aerosmith was not what she was humming as she chewed her lovely pb&j on wonder bread, Dr. Feelgood was more her speed at the moment. She needed to get out and see a concert or something, she wasn’t an old woman yet and it wasn’t as if she had kids to keep up with. Eliza had a great deal of cash stored away, hell, she could even just leave Derry and this life altogether. Where would she even go? Maybe she would be an event florist, leave funerals behind and do weddings at the Plaza or make arrangements for celebrity parties. She laughed at herself as she flipped the page of her book. 

After a few minutes, she had an empty paper towel and Mötley Crüe still plagued her on repeat in her head. She slumped against the armrest of the loveseat and stared at the phone as if begging it to ring. Her book was sadly forgotten in her lap as she stared when she heard a knock and then the bell of the front door. She shot up and nearly threw her book across the room before tucking it down under a pillow and crumpling her paper towel as she stood. 

“Hello? Eliz-“

Eliza almost pounced on the man in the front room as she rounded the corner in a rush to get to the customer. “Oh! Shit sorry I’m- Robert?” Her heart climbed into her throat as she realized it was her friend? Acquaintance? Crush? “Robert, Hi, I-” She chuckled, “I honestly thought the other day would be the last time I saw you again.” She laughed nervously and tossed her paper towel into the wastebasket. 

The man smiled at her and she felt drawn into his baby blues. “I did say that I wanted to see you again Eliza. I am not in the habit of lying.” He chuckled and took a moment to look around her shop, walking around the showroom like a predator with hands clasped behind his back. “So this was the funeral home, right? When we were younger?” He did not look at her yet as he looked at the little card rack near the door.

The woman had been busy staring at the way his cream sweater hugged his lithe frame and took a long time to answer him. “Uh- yes. My grandfather ran it when it was here before they built the one next door.” She tapped her finger on the counter then let her eyes trail to his hands, they looked graceful like the hands of some Adonis, and his fingers were long...he could probably play the piano well. “I’m glad that the building stayed in the family honestly.”

“Isn’t it scary?” Robert looked over his shoulder at her, his lips pulled into a slight frown. At her slight look of confusion, he turned his body to face her and reworded his question. “Don’t you get scared working here when there have been so many dead people through those doors? And even now, next door.” A fine brow drew up in question.

Eliza swallowed and let her eyes wander away from him to study a whirl in the wood paneling. “Sometimes it’s spooky, but the dead don’t bother me. I used to think they were just napping, sleeping,” She glanced at him, “or maybe hibernating.” His lip twitched and she caught it, smiling in return. “I know it sounds funny, I mean I saw how sad it made people when I was little but,” she shrugged, “I guess in my head I thought they just slept for a really long time and maybe that was how reincarnation worked. Or maybe some metamorphosis happened like with butterflies.” Eliza found herself laughing. “I was an odd child.” She did not tell the man before her that she had this thought when she was young because oftentimes the spirits of those ‘napping’ would walk around the funeral home griping or moaning about not being dead.

“Are you still odd?” He asked it and she felt like there was more to it then simply finding out if she still had crazy ideas about the world and death. 

Eliza cleared her throat and leaned back against the counter. “Well, it depends. I know that they aren’t sleeping anymore and that they’re gone. I don’t believe in ghosts…” _ Blatant Lie. _“At least I’d like to think that everyone is off in the next life somewhere.” Her lips parted but he stopped her with an interjection.

“God?”

“Getting into heavy stuff huh?” She shook her head, “No, I don’t believe in the god with a big ‘G’. But I don’t think we just happened out of nothing. Maybe there’s a god but I don’t think he’s waiting to smite us if we disobey our parents or steal. Maybe we are just some byproduct of a greater thing.” His face was calm as he listened to her and she felt an attraction to that serenity. He looked like he knew the answers to every single question but had no intention of ever sharing. “But back to being odd, I think I am still odd in many ways. I don’t mind the dead but I couldn’t work in a funeral home. Babies on the other hand, or more, pregnant women and the life inside them is terrifying.”

He laughed out loud, his blue eyes twinkling as he tossed his head back. “That- That is what scares you? Pregnant women?” He looked suddenly intrigued by the idea. “Why?”

Eliza shifted from foot to foot then pointed into the other room, “You wanna sit?” Robert looked as if he was waiting for her answer. “I am not skimping on why I’m afraid, I just think we might be more comfortable in there. There’s a couch? Rocking chair?” He motioned for her to lead the way and they filed into the foyer. He went straight to the loveseat she had previously occupied and crossed a leg over his knee calmly. She opted not to sit right next to him, no matter how much she felt the need to and plopped down into the rocker unceremoniously.

“Well, Eliza? Tell Dr. Gray about your fears.” He smiled at her and winked when she blushed. He saw her blush and his smile widened.

“How did we get here? You walk into my shop, I am guessing not for flowers at this point, and now suddenly I’m talking about how unborn babies are scary.” He shrugged and waved a hand, intent on getting her to answer the question. She rolled her eyes playfully and settled on telling him so that they could quickly move on to something else. “I’m not sure when it started really but I remember there was a cousin that came to visit one time and she was nice, pregnant, morbidly so, she left and had her baby over in Bangor. Didn’t come back, my mother said that the baby killed her.” He tilted his head but seemed to still want more.

“I was seven when she said that. She wasn’t talking to me, was talking to Papa but I heard it and kept wondering how a baby could kill anyone. I saw pregnant women after that, I wasn’t scared of them, more curious than anything. But one day one of them told me to touch her belly. She wanted to show me something. I pressed my hand to her stomach and I felt it, her stomach moved, _ moved _...the baby moved.” She shivered and noted the slight amusement on Robert’s face. “It slowly set in that the things inside of pregnant women had minds of their own no matter how small and in high school when we learned how fetuses fed through a tube attached to their mother and excreted waste through her, my mind let them be placed into the parasite category.”

Eliza laughed at herself as she folded her ankle under her knee. “Actually, my sister-in-law is pregnant right now, looks like she’s going to pop every time I see her, she still has a few months left in any case...I can’t even hug her without physically moving my lower body away from the swelling of her abdomen. It makes me sick thinking about it.” Her spit felt thick in that moment and she swallowed it down awkwardly.

“I suppose that means you don’t want any of your own?” He leaned forward, hands steepled in front of his mouth. Robert’s eyes watched her every move and twitch closely, his blue eyes never straying from her body. 

“Oh god, can you even imagine? I would be the worst mess. Talk about a walking nightmare.” She shook her head to try and get rid of that image. “No way. Not happening. Besides, I’m single and I’m not a one night stand kinda girl.” She blushed bright red and shifted her legs again, now crossing them at the ankles. “Can we-“

“Talk about something else? Yes, I’m sorry...I simply found that fear strange, I’ve never quite heard that one before.” He seemed distant for a time then smirked. “I’m not keeping you from work am I?”

Eliza laughed. “Nope. I’m all set for today and am even prepared for tomorrow.” He looked impressed and she mentally preened herself. “You have my full attention, Mr. Gray.”

“How delighted I am to hear that.” He studied her for a long time before speaking again and the two of them talked about nonsense things though mostly they discussed Eliza.

—————

“Your birthday is soon right? Was it Halloween?”, Robert asked quickly during a lull in the conversation. They had been talking for over an hour now and she was beginning to feel a warmth in her chest she thought might be indigestion. 

Eliza knew he knew when her birthday was though she was not sure what led her to think that. “Um...tomorrow actually. I was not so lucky as to have a birthday on Hallows Eve. Most of my parties were themed around the holiday when I was young though. I used to love Halloween.” She offered a solemn smile and he furrowed his brow.

“Past tense, you no longer love Halloween?” Robert tilted his head and leaned back into the loveseat.

Eliza sighed and began to rock nervously in the chair, “Yeah. I’m sure you’ve noticed but Derry is a pretty dangerous place. Those bad things that happen in the news about poisoned candy or razor blades in apples all seem to happen here at least once every year. It’s not just Halloween either. Terrible shit happens in this town.” She waved a hand almost angrily. “Even now, there’s a psycho about kidnapping and maiming children...how are the kids supposed to enjoy themselves when a murderer is out on the prowl hunting them down?” Eliza hoped that he would have a more serious reaction to the going’s on than most other adults in Derry.

He folded his arms over his chest and frowned. “Hmmm, you make a fine point. Plus, with that curfew, there isn’t as much trick-or-treating time.” He motioned out the window. “What they should have done is have a festival, maybe let the shops stay open later and the children trick or treat in the well lit, well-supervised town center.” He seemed sympathetic to her feelings and he smiled at her when she nodded at his suggestion.

“That is what I thought. The kids should still enjoy the holiday but somewhere they can be watched, safer. Less chance of some crazy clo-“ She bit her tongue and shook her head before standing up quickly. For some reason, that feeling of being watched was returning and her pulse jumped.

“What was that?” He asked as he stood slowly.

“Nothing, less chance of some crazy dragging them off.” He did not look convinced but he quickly smiled at her like he was an angelic being and walked over to her slowly. Eliza’s cheeks burned bright and she gasped as his blue eyes searched her face then settled on her lips. 

“I should get going, my lunch break is technically over.” She looked surprised and apologetic but he put a hand on her arm in reassurance. “No, no, don’t feel bad. I think this lunch break was well spent indeed. I just can't get enough of you Eliza.” He winked and chuckled at her embarrassed reaction. “In fact, today was not enough...If you do not have plans tomorrow for your birthday, I would love to have you for dinner.”

Eliza’s eyes grew wide and she seemed at a loss for words. She wanted to have dinner with him, more than anything she wanted to have dinner with this man. She was inexplicably drawn to him and to have dinner with him would have been a wonder and a blessing in her mind. Her first thought was to agree but she remembered that she had plans already with a different guy from school. It was almost indistinguishable but she saw that Robert’s face darkened as her expression changed to one of regret. “I unfortunately already have plans with someone tomorrow...you might remember him, Brandon Franco? He and I were on the track team together.” The hand that he had placed on her arm tensed slightly and she thought for a moment his eyes changed but as quickly as she thought that, he was smiling again.

“Of course, silly of me to think that a beautiful woman such as yourself does not already have plans on her birthday. I did just spring myself into your life a few days ago.” His smile widened and he pulled his hand away from her arm. 

“We’re just meeting at the bar, I wouldn’t be against you coming by and meeting us, the bar is a free country anyway.” She laughed, feeling the absence of his hand on her arm. “The more the merrier, it is my birthday.”

He smirked and nodded quickly. “I’ll think about it, I would not want an outing with you to be interrupted, and I’m sure...Brandon would not want his evening with you circumvented by another man butting in would he.” He stated this with an inflection of sarcasm and question.

Eliza took a step towards him, having to look up to meet his entrancing blue eyes at this new proximity. She placed her hand on his arm now, the heat in her chest almost seeming to burn her from the inside the closer she was to him. “It’s only a friendly outing I assure you. There is nothing romantic between Brandon and myself.”

“Does he know that?” Robert’s eyes darkened as he slid his fingers over her hand on his arm holding it. “Men can get ahead of themselves oh so easily. Thinking that things belong to them...when they already belong to someone else.” 

The image of the clown climbed into the forefront of her mind when he said this and her heart beat faster in her chest. “Ri-right.” She yanked her hand from his and backed away as a smile returned to his face and his eyes seemed brighter than ever. “Come on over to the bar if you want to...um...y-you should probably get back to work.” Eliza cleared her throat, “I should too, I have invoices to mail and preorders to call in.” She chuckled nervously and pushed a frizzy strand of hair away from her face. Her chest felt tight and nausea struck her suddenly. Eliza had to get him out of here before she hurled all over his shoes. 

Robert walked with her to the door and studied her carefully. “Are you feeling alright Eliza? You look as if you had seen a ghost.” Sweat broke out over her skin and she felt faint.

“No ghosts, not for a while.” She hiccuped and opened the door for him, practically shoving the taller man out. “Um- sorry, I feel sick all of a sudden. PB&J must be disagreeing with me.” He did not look to believe her even though that infuriatingly attractive smile was still plastered on his face. “See you tomorrow...a-at the bar.”

“We’ll see birthday girl. Perhaps I will even give you a gift.” He laughed then and darted in to plant a kiss on her sweat-dampened forehead. “Feel better.” He allowed her to shoo him out the door and waved back to her before she shut it. “Sweet girl….” Inside and oblivious, Eliza did not see his inhumanly long tongue lick over his lips, tasting the cold sweat that had come with his mouth off of her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eliza’s life only gets more chaotic from here.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	6. Birthday Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Eliza~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a tad bit of body horror in this chapter. Just a heads up.

_ Wednesday, October 26, 1988 _

Pennywise POV

_ Pennywise allowed his smile to stretch to inhumane proportions as he was pushed out of Eliza’s home and shivered as he tasted her on his lips. She was delicious, something he had not tasted in much too long. He laughed and shook the facade of Robert Gray from his body. The form was not so bad he decided, and it got him close to the girl and he had gained some knowledge today that he had not had before. He knew now a fear that she had. How he could implement that fear he would ponder but there must be other things as well.  _

_ The block on the woman’s mind was the same as it had been when she was little. He could never see her fears and she always seemed to know when he was near, always on edge. It made her sour, the fact that she ruined his planning, his enjoyment of watching his prey before he finally pounced. On occasion, he could shove things into her pretty little head when her barriers were down like he had when he had first appeared to her as Robert Gray. She believed him a friend from school and her childhood years. It made things easier and oh how he loved when things went in his favor. Her barriers were also thin when she slept, then her dreams could sometimes be loud. Pennywise could not change them or influence them in any way but he could absolutely see.  _

_ He licked his lips again and curled his fingers as he looked back at the flower shop behind himself. He could feel her heart pounding still. She had not left the door and he knew that she was sitting on the ground now. What had set her on edge he wondered. Had he been too forward in the form of Gray? Had he slipped up and let her see behind his carefully constructed mask.  _

_ No, he could smell how Eliza had enjoyed Robert’s attention. He might have been jealous had it not been for the fact that Gray was as much Pennywise as Pennywise was Gray. The same ambitions were there...simply with a different  _ flare _ . What he did not abide by and what had caused the awful emotions Eliza liked to inflict on him was the mention of little Brandon Franco. His whole body shook and he growled, talon-like nails ripping through his pristine white gloves. ‘The boy thinks that he can touch what is not his! Elizabeth belongs to Pennywise! His right!’ He seemed to be throwing a fit like a toddler over not wanting to share a toy but anyone out and about to see would have been none the wiser. _

_ Pennywise froze as he felt the shifting of his prize on the other side of the door. She could probably feel him here now...no Gray to shield him from her light. The clown clapped his hands and began to drool with excitement. His dear Eliza would be his this time and come tomorrow she would see that it was always meant to be that way.  _

\------------

_ Thursday, October 27, 1989 _

Eliza smacked her alarm with such force that her hand stung when she shimmied down further into the warm green sheets of her queen-sized bed. It was chilly in her room and she was tempted to close up shop for the day, claim sickness or hell, stick a sign on the door saying it was her birthday and as a gift to herself, she was sleeping in until she had to go out this evening. If she had been someone other than herself it would have been fine, she would have pulled her fall-themed quilt up overtop her head and blocked out the sun until six-thirty. As Eliza was herself and no one else, she rolled out of her cozy bed and let her bare feet slip into the tall shag of her white flokati rug. A smile graced her lips as the woman stretched and shook her rats nest out of her face. She allowed herself a few moments to look out between her gauzy curtains to the street and curl her toes in the soft rug. 

The morning was overcast and dreary, sometime in the night rain had knocked down plenty of the orange leaves from trees and they now littered the damp streets and sidewalks in clumps. The majority of the town was still asleep, though a few cars passed lazily by the shop to kick up the wet leaves that did not have their usual crisp. Knowing that the wet foliage could be slippery, Eliza decided that when she went down after getting ready she’d sweep the front-drive. It would be chilly, she would need some hot cocoa to urge her into going outside. With a smile, she left the window and began her task of getting ready for work.

Getting ready for work was a chore that flew by for her, do something in the same order long enough and it just sort of becomes the norm and nothing else is expected from it. She had picked out some jeans and a long-sleeved red sweater, blindly grabbed for undergarments and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. From there she washed, brushed, dressed, braided and tied one of the aprons that always seemed to be hanging on the back of her bathroom door around herself. Still barefoot she would make her way to her extremely outdated kitchen and make an egg sandwich to scarf down as she made her way back to her room for socks and sneakers. 

Or, that is what she would have done if when she opened her closet to pick out her clothing she had not been greeted with the smiling face of a long-dead cousin of hers. Jensen McLaughlin, deceased January 3, 1965, was standing in the closest of soon to be screaming Eliza McLaughlin. Before her scream could bubble up her throat and out of her mouth violently, she took in the woman’s appearance in front of her. The tall brunette looked just as she had when she had seen her last, wearing a pair of black flats on her sheer stockinged feet, a red-white-black plaid faux pencil skirt and a matching double button coat with a black turtleneck underneath. Nothing was off-putting about the woman other than the fact of her being dead and very much still pregnant. But that first fact alone was enough. 

Eliza was frozen as she stared at the woman before her, then, Jensen took a step towards her setting off the tripwire to the scream that had been waiting to be released. Her blood-curdling scream of terror echoed through the upper apartment of the flower shop though no one outside heard. Eliza stumbled back away from the closet but then quickly lunged forward to slam the door shut so that Jensen could not get to her. 

It was cruel, she hadn’t thought about this woman in years then she tells Rob with his big ole’ blue eyes about her dead cousin and here she is waiting in her closet. She leaned against the door for good measure and closed her eyes tight as she heard the banging of hands on the other side.

“Eliza! Little girls should not be rude to their elders! Do you want me to have to talk to your mother!” The pounding continued and she could have sworn the sound of splintering wood was coming from the door. The florist was putting all of her weight on the door and still, the woman on the other side was managing to push it open. 

“No, no, no. Please leave me alone! I can’t help you! I can’t do anything you’re already dead.” Eliza grit her teeth and pushed her back against the door. “Please go away. Go back to wherever you came from!” Her face was red and her eyes were beginning to fill with tears of frustration and fear. “God please…”

“You don’t believe in God Eliza! He can’t help you, a little sinner! Why couldn’t you have been more like Elijah, such a nice boy? He respects his elders!” The pounding on the door behind her became more urgent and finally, Eliza could no longer hold the ghost of her cousin back any longer. Stumbling forward and spinning so that her back was not turned to the woman behind her she stared wide-eyed at her. “You were always a rude girl, little Eliza was too smart to listen to anyone else. I bet you smiled when you heard I was dead.” Jensen advanced on the other woman, hazel eyes glaring into her own.

Eliza had nowhere to go, Jensen was blocking her exit and there was no way she could survive going out the window. The other woman was backing her against a wall leaving Eliza nowhere to run. “Go away! You don’t belong here!” She tried to flatten herself as much as she could to the wall in hopes that as Jensen grew close she could skirt around and make it out of the bedroom door. The ghost, or whatever she was, did not stop her advance, she even began to hold her pregnant belly as she neared Eliza. The florist shook her head violently as Jensen began the process of unbuttoning her coat, giving Eliza a better view of her awfully distended belly.

“You never got to meet your new cousin did you, Eliza? I think they would love to meet you!” Eliza watched in horror as the woman slid the shirt underneath her coat up, revealing a pale swollen stomach lined with black veins. “Look at him, Eliza! He wants you to hold him!” The skin of her stomach stretched and pulled as a hand pushed out towards her under the now awfully thin skin of Jensen’s abdomen. A face joined the hand and she could clearly see the features of her unborn cousin.

“N-no…” Her legs felt like jelly and all of her will to run was being sapped away as her heart beat faster and her stomach turned sour. Eliza gagged as Jensen got ever closer. She begged incoherently as she could feel the cold breath of her cousin on her cheek. The taller woman pressed her belly close to her and she knew it was only a matter of seconds before the hands and face of the unborn child would be touching her. She couldn’t let that happen, she wouldn’t. It took everything within her to do it, but Eliza threw herself to the ground and scrambled away towards the door.

“Rude! He wants to say hello! You angry little girl!” The door slammed shut as Jensen spoke up behind her. “Don’t you want to feel him, Eliza?” Her cousin’s voice started to sound deeper, overlayed with more than her own voice. This was not her cousin...this was not one of the ghosts that walked the halls of her home on occasion, this was wrong. Jensen approached as Eliza pulled at the door in front of her, the handle refused to even turn and she just shook her head in disbelief.

“You aren’t really here, this is a trick. Jensen wouldn’t do this...you aren't Jensen!” Eliza looked over her shoulder as she shouted and her eyes grew big as dinner plates. Her cousin had stopped advancing towards her and she could no longer see the protrusions of her unborn child on her stomach. But this haunting was not near over. As she watched, black blood cold and thick poured down Jensen's legs.  _ Oh god, she’s giving birth!  _ Eliza pounded on the door and began to push at it with her shoulder. “You aren’t real! You aren't!” She was scared, so scared, it didn’t matter if it was real or not. She tore her eyes from the dead thing approaching her and focused on trying to get through the door.

There was a wet thump behind her and Eliza did everything she could to ignore the implications of the sound. It would not be ignored, for as soon as she thought to do so a gurgling wail filled the room. “Won’t you look at your cousin Eliza? Would you like to hold him?” Jensen did not even sound like herself anymore her voice deep and filled with malice that Eliza might recognize if she were not too afraid to think. Eliza was doing her best to rip the door of her bedroom off its hinges, anything to get away. The crying of the  _ baby _ grew louder and she could feel her own sobs threatening to choke her. “Quit being so rude Eliza, pick him up! Having a child brings you so much joy. Aren’t you just thrilled to be having your own?!” 

Her hand flew to her stomach though she knew that nothing would be there. As she had suspected, there was nothing but her little pudge from not keeping up with her running routine as of late. She curled her fingers and realized that this bit of distraction was what the creature needed. A hand dropped on her shoulder and yanked her around with some inhuman strength. Eliza squeezed her eyes shut, she did not want to see her,  _ them _ . Something cold and wet touched her leg and grabbed at her. The wailing became a gurgling coo accompanied by abnormal snarling.

“Look at me!  **Look. At. ME.** ” 

Eliza’s eyes flew open as she heard a voice underneath that of her cousin’s, it was the clown. She howled in anger and punted the creature at her feet away from herself, feeling the little bloody body crumble under the blow. She refused to look at it but rammed her body into the  _ woman _ now before her. “Leave me alone!” A look of surprise had crossed Jensen’s face and she knew that that was the only reason she was able to push her/it back. “How dare you! She’s dead! How dare you use her to hurt me!” She was yelling, all of her fear replaced with fury and rage at this creature before her. 

It did not take long for the pounding of her fists on its chest to make the smile on Jensen’s face disappear and for red greasepaint to crawl up her cheeks and over her mouth and the tip of her nose. Sharp needle-like teeth speared out of her gums as she grew more imposing, her height increasing her clothes changing. Hazel eyes became a glowing amber and her brunette hair changed to ginger. Pennywise stood before her and her frustrated and angry pounding on its chest did nothing now. He said nothing to her as she glared up at him with rage at his deception. Pennywise frowned and red began to rim its eyes. Before another fist could connect with his chest, he hauled Eliza up with clawed hands under her armpits, banging her against the door to her bedroom. 

“Am I not scary enough for you Eliza!? Are you too old for the clown!” He pulled her towards him until her nose was pressed to his. A peel of angry laughter rumbled over her as she gagged at the rotten smell of the clown’s breath. “Are you too good to scream for me now Eliza!?” He growled and shoved her back against the door, white flashing across her vision as her head collided with the wood. His grip on her tightened when she only glared back at him and the talons ripping out of his gloved dug into her back and shoulders. 

Eliza yelped as she felt multiple points where his nails had pierced skin. “Leave me alone!” she shouted as he again roared into her face. “Kill me or leave me the  **fuck** alone you monster!” She was tired of the games he played. She was tired of the consequences that they brought. Elijah still had not spoken to her after the other night and she had been sent to so many damn psychiatrists between the ages of five and seven that she could recite their jargon and prescribed medications like her own name. It had taken everything to shake him off, to shake off his hold on her as a child and here he was again, ruining it all!

The clown seemed to have had enough of her yelling as well and as she went to tell him to fuck off again, he reared his head back and sunk his teeth deep into the flesh between her shoulder and her neck. If Pennywise wanted her screaming, he had absolutely achieved his goal at that moment. Just as the sweetest blood he had ever tasted poured out of Eliza, her beautiful screams pierced the cold air around them. He felt her fear now and he purred in satisfaction as the woman continued to scream. She was full of talk, telling him to kill her but she did not really want to die and the thought that he just might give her what she had asked for was terrifying. Feeling the blood pouring down over her shoulders and down over his hand Pennywise locked his lips over her wound, teeth still embedded into her flesh. He did not want to waste any of her blood, he wanted it all, he wanted to savor it. A stray thought forced its way into the creature’s head and he frowned over her wound. 

_ I don’t want her dead. We haven’t finished the game. _

Eliza was unsure if she was still screaming or if she was dead yet. She could still feel pain, but then she couldn’t be dead. Pennywise was still holding her, and teeth were still buried in her shoulder. Was it time to laugh now? She had wanted today off right? She would get it off if she was dead. Her body shook and there was a shifting in the was the entity killing her was holding her body. 

Pennywise felt her convulsing and his teeth retracted back into his skull. The problem was not over and in fact, the bleeding was worse now without the teeth there. He could feel her growing weaker as more blood spilled into his mouth. It wouldn’t do to break his Eliza so early as he was not done playing with her yet. His eyes lost their glaring red and faded to a more contemplative yellow as the clown pulled her closer still drinking up the hot blood leaving her body. He allowed her to grow weaker until she was limp in his arms then lapped at her wound with his tongue. The clown coated the bite he had made with a thick and sticky layer of saliva, the punctures continuing to bleed for a short time before slowing to a stop as the goo began to stem the flow...and  _ knit _ her skin back together. 

Eliza was unconscious now but she would not stay that way forever, as such, the clown believed it best to take his leave before she awoke. The party games he had planned for her birthday were just beginning and he had almost spoiled the day for both of them. He was above admitting he had let her get to him but he was pleased she was still breathing. Pennywise was determined to make this birthday one that Eliza would never be able to forget. He looped his arms under her and dropped her unceremoniously into her bed after ripping her quilt back, then tucked it loosely around her. His eyes lingered on her relaxed form for a moment, pondering the ability for a being to look so peaceful after an ordeal such as the one he had thrust upon her. Without thinking, he reached a gloved hand towards her face as if he might trace her features or push a curl away from her cheek. 

Pennywise jerked his hand to a stop and grinned, a small giggle echoing around the room. The clown turned his attention from her to the alarm clock on her table. Picking up the clunky device in his hands, he hummed to himself as he set it to the time just before her alarm usually went off. It was not surprising that he was gone as the alarm blared angrily for the second time at the woman in bed. Eliza would regrettably not hear it for a good hour as her body recuperated. 

\----------

Eliza woke to the sound of her alarm for the second time and was thoroughly shaken. She jerked up into a sitting position and fumbled for the alarm. Pulling it into her lap she glanced around the room and shut it off carefully with a press of her thumb. Her heart was hammering away and as she stood up to search around for any sign that what had happened with Pennywise was real she swayed. Vertigo tugged at her body and she sunk to the edge of her bed. He had bit her... _ oh god _ , Eliza brought her shaking fingers up reaching for her collar as her eyes stung. Pressing her hand to the junction of her shoulder and neck she flinched, heat and pain radiated from the area but there was no bite to be felt. She sucked her lip into her mouth and mindful of her dizziness walked to her vanity. Before she did anything she took a deep breath, it could have all been a dream...she was stressed out and the nightmare could have caused her to turn in a strange way, perhaps she pulled a muscle and that was why there was such terrible pain.

There was no use in stalling now though and she slid her hands under her shirt, pulling it up and over her head with a hiss as she moved her shoulder. A large bruise encompassed a great deal of her shoulder in a ring, it looked like someone with quite the sizable mouth had indeed bit her...but there was no sign that this bite had broken skin. Eliza traced her fingers over the markings again feeling for any sign that his teeth had sunk into her flesh as she had remembered. Nothing. Her lips trembled. “What is going on….” 

_ Ding dong! _

The front doorbell chimed and Eliza spared a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Her face while free of tear stains and snot from the episode she was now unsure had happened at all, was puffy and tired looking. The bell chimed again twice and she sighed. Walking out of her room and down the stairs, she pulled her shirt back on. If her alarm had just gone off then it was still too early for customers…..who was trying to get her attention? Just to make sure she would be in the right to grumble and tell off the person at her doorstep Eliza looked at the large grandfather clock in the corner. It was 8:36 am, 36 minutes past the time that she usually opened up.  _ Shit. _ She really was losing her mind.

No longer concerned in the least at her appearance Eliza opened the door to her shop and was not at all surprised to see Elijah standing there with an ugly but warm sweater that she knew Annie had knit for him. He did not look happy, he looked frazzled and as stressed out as she felt. His gray eyes searched over his sister’s frame then without warning he pushed himself inside and shut the door. When he even locked it back Eliza knew she was in for it. 

“Nice sweater Eli. You know I’m a big fan of Annie’s wor-“

“Stop.” He shook his head and set a little box wrapped in yellow paper down on a table near the door. “Please stop.” Elijah slid past her and went behind the front counter to pick up her phone. He put it to his ear and nodded, annoyed. “I see that your phone is in working condition.” The man slammed the phone down onto the receiver. “Care to tell me why you haven’t answered any calls? Annie and Whitney tried to call you at 7:30 and again at 7:45, 7:50, and 8. Hell, Eliza, I walked over here expecting you to be dead on the floor.” He walked back around the counter and grabbed her upper arms hard. “God, I was about to bust the fucking door down Liza!” His face was red and his fingers dug into her arms painfully.

She tugged out of his arms and yelped as she pulled the bruise on her shoulder. His eyes went wide and drew directly to where her fingers were holding her shoulder protectively. “Elijah, calm down...I overslept okay? My alarm didn’t go off and I haven’t even gotten ready. Just...chill.” It was easy to spin the lie to him because she did not know what was true herself. She caught the way he was eyeing her shoulder and ripped her hand away and turned away. “I’ll call Annie back in a little bit, It was just ‘happy birthday’ right? Nothing important?”

Elijah came up behind her and pulled the collar of her shirt away from her neck. “What the hell is this Eliza?” He pressed his fingers down on the bruise and she jerked out of his reach again. Knowing she was about to tell him to mind his own business or some ridiculous shit like that he shook his head and ran his hands through his hair and interrupted her before she could speak. “God Eliza, please can we cut the crap? I don’t believe you just ‘overslept’ I don’t believe the excuse you're about to give me about that bruise, and I don’t believe whatever reason you have for standing in the _ doorway of my bathroom for fifteen minutes! _ ” If she did not know any better she would say that he was about to pull all of his hair out.

“I am not fighting with you, Elijah.” Her voice was careful though it wavered as her face reddened with a combination of shame, fear, and anger. “Please…” He looked like he was still rearing for a fight and she tried to relax her posture, deescalate the situation. “Please.”

Her brother roared at the ceiling and slumped into a chair, lowering his head into his hands with a sigh. He was silent for a long time, the clock in the other room the only sound. Eliza took a step towards him but paused as he looked up at her with wet eyes. “Just…” He swallowed, “Just answer me this Liza, are you okay?” He searched her eyes frantically for some answers to all of his questions. “You have been acting so- well- you're acting like you did when we were little. Seeing ghosts...clowns, talking to yourself and just blanking out. I- I don’t think-” He pressed his lips into a thin line and rubbed his hands over his face. “Just tell me you’re okay.” She opened her mouth and he frowned. “And please don’t lie to me.”

Eliza looked down at her bare feet, sucking her lip into her mouth as she wracked her brain for something to tell him that would make everything better. Lying would be the easy thing to do, but he wouldn’t believe her and it would only cause a rift between them that she did not want and could not afford. Mom and Elijah were all that she had. She wrung her hands then looked up to meet his eyes. “I can’t tell you that.” Her chest hurt to say it but it was all she had to say. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t know if I’m fine Elijah.”

The pain in his eyes was heartbreaking. He dropped his head into his hands again and looked like a deflated version of himself. The siblings fell into silence once more for a long while but Elijah was the first to move then. He pulled his head up and pushing his hair out of his face. Slowly, he stood and came forward toward his little sister. He did not say a word, but wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest. He lowered his chin onto the top of her head and stared into the next room with a blank face. His nose was red and his eyes were wet but what could he say to that. He smelled like the aftershave their grandfather used to use and even though they looked so much like their mother he always looked like Papa too. Before either of them could get too comfortable or feel the threat of breaking down he let her loose and walked back towards the door to grab the yellow wrapped box he had brought in.

She cleared her throat and offered him a little smile. “Aww...for me?” The air was still tense but this is what they had now. For the moment everything wrong would stay up on the top shelf away from prying eyes. He handed her the box and nodded, waiting for her to open it. Eliza unwrapped the box with careful hands and smirked as Elijah rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t like ripping the paper…”

“You never could be like everyone else.” There was absolutely a double meaning in those words but neither of them cared to talk any more about what exactly. “It’s just a little something from me and the girls. Well, mostly the girls.” He folded his arms over his chest, looking tired and ready to just take a nap. Eliza folded the tape over the paper and folded it before she opened the actual box. Inside was a little gold charm bracelet. She looked at her brother with a raised brow. “It really wasn’t that much so don’t start. We were going to give it to you tonight at Mom’s but you have that...date?”

“Not a date.” She cut in.

“Right. That’s not what Brandon Franco was telling the guys at the bar last night.” He looked at her with a shrug when she glared at him. “Just passing that along.” 

Eliza ignored him and the possible implications of what Brandon had been saying about them last night. Carefully, as if she would break the bracelet she pulled it out of the box and studied it. There were five charms on the golden bracelet, a tea kettle, a key, a little cherub, a thimble and in the middle of it all was a pear cut ruby gemstone. She shook her head. “It’s beautiful Elijah.” She looked up at him and carefully placed it upon her wrist. It was heavy and Eliza was pretty sure it was the most expensive thing that she owned now. Part of her wanted to place it back into the box and hand it back, but the little goblin in her head that liked shiny things kept her from that. “Thank you.”

“Happy birthday Liza…” He took a deep breath and looked down at his watch. “Do you have any orders for today?” 

She pulled the information involving work to the forefront of her mind then nodded. “Yeah, I have your 11 am casket spray ready in the cooler now and I have a few deliveries that need to go out, I already arranged them last night.” Eliza twisted her wrist, getting used to the bracelet as well as actively fidgeting. “Why?”

He looked at her with pity in his eyes and tapped his watch. “How about you just stay closed today? No one has called or come by, you’re an hour past open, it’s your birthday...you're stressed.” Elijah swallowed and scratched his jaw. “You should just relax Eliza. It would make me feel better about…”

“Ok.” She held up a hand to stop him and nodded with a frown. “I’ll call Timothy and tell him I don’t need him to do deliveries today. I’ll take them after I help you get the casket piece over to the funeral home.” Maybe it would be good to get out. “I’ll get some fresh air, go grocery shopping so I can cook for once.” Offering her brother a reassuring smile then motioning to herself still in pajamas, she added, “Let me get dressed and we’ll get the casket spray.” 

Elijah watched his sister run up the stairs and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.  _ It was all happening again. _ He wondered if this was how their father had felt before he jumped off of the Kissing Bridge, smashing his head open on the rocks below. He rolled his shoulders and let his shiny polished shoes carry him into the back toward the old embalming room. Elijah McLaughlin needed a drink, a strong one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me this far!  
Eliza's birthday bash is only beginning.


	7. Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza walks into a bar~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week has been insane y’all and I’ll be honest, I kinda rushed this chapter. :/  
I promise to make it up next Saturday.

_ Thursday, October 27, 1988_

It was cold on her way to the bar and Eliza was really wondering why she had told Brandon that she would walk. It wasn’t very far and it wasn’t like her shoes were uncomfortable but it was dark and every shadow that crossed over her made her heart beat fast in her chest. The wind blew a gust down the road, pushing her towards her destination and chilling the back of her calves. She should have worn the pants. With a groan, she rubbed her arms in a struggle to keep warm. Even after spending hours trying to find something to wear to this _ not _ date, she was unhappy with what she picked. The problem had been the struggle to find something that covered the awful bruise still marring her shoulder without sacrificing her ability to look somewhat attractive. Eliza hadn’t been out in a while, it wouldn’t really do to look like the reclusive hobo she actually was.

Her new charm bracelet glinted in the streetlamp reminding her of its presence and she smiled. Elijah had tried to get her to cancel with Brandon and just have a birthday dinner with the family, like every year. The discussion had been dropped quickly when Annie had stopped by the funeral home to make sure Eliza was not, in fact, dead on the floor somewhere as the both of them had forgotten to call her with the all-clear. Annie was so excited to hear that Eliza was going on a date that she refused to even be told anything of her canceling for a boring dinner with people she saw all the time. With Annie there, Elijah had lost any will to discuss it and had sent his sister away to do her deliveries. 

She and Brandon were to meet at the Silver Dollar formerly the Sleepy Silver Dollar. It had been rebuilt and refurbished and was now a popular attraction for those who liked the morbid story or for those who happened to like a drink. The food was passable there and the staff was pleasant enough but it was the only bar besides The Falcon. Eliza had nothing against the Falcon personally but Brandon had refused to eat there on the sole purpose of not wanting to be considered ‘fruity’. Eliza had only rolled her eyes at him as she liked the Falcon and the food and drinks were eleven times better than the Silver Dollar. Alas, she gave him what his pride afforded and they had gone to her second choice. There was always the Jade for food, but the florist was not really in the mood, besides, she visited the establishment with her mother almost every other week. 

The wind whipped a punishing gust at her back once more and she shivered, if she did not get inside soon she thought that she might freeze to death or be blown away. _ Like a balloon. _A frown sprouted up on her lips when she thought about balloons and her pace quickened. “Almost there, just around the corner.” Her breathing was quick now and a warm pressure in her chest was bubbling up.

Yellow eyes watched Eliza from the sewer drain, the corners of the eyes crinkled with a wide smile as they watched the woman hurry along. It liked her dress.

Eliza pushed the door to the bar open and heaved a relieved sigh out before fixing her hair around her shoulders. Not too many people were in the dim-lit seating area though she did recognize a few regulars. One such regular caught her eye and she shrunk, Officer Butch Bowers looked her over with a decidedly lecherous glint in his eyes but it was not unusual for him. She shrugged it off and took her eyes away from those dark brown depths. Brandon was there already at a table in the back, nose buried in a menu with his legs stretched out so his feet rested on the other chair that would soon be hers. He looked nice and she pondered the possibility of being underdressed. Eliza was quick to dismiss this thought as she was only here for a friendly get together, not a date.

“Brandon, hey.” Eliza smiled and hugged the man that shot out of his seat to wrap his arms around the shorter woman. She laughed as his embrace nearly suffocated her. He had already been drinking which she could smell but it was odd as there was no glass in front of him. “I hope you weren’t waiting long for me.”

He shook his head and stepped back to look at her. “No, I just got here. Wanted to snatch us a table just in case it got busy.” Brandon was as tall as her brother and almost as handsome. He sported curly blonde hair that was styled wildly around his angular face and had a tan from his long summer surfing in California. He could have been one of those top-billed actors, dressed in his blue-green Fuji suit and black shirt and again she thought he might be overdressed. “Did I ever tell you how happy I was that you agreed to come out with me?” They both settled down into their seats as his hazel eyes lasered in on her face.

“N- no?” Eliza smirked, internally trying to remember what Elijah had said about him earlier today. She prayed he did not have the wrong idea. “But I thought that it would be something nice and different to come out instead of having family dinner as always.” Her fingers pulled her hair over the top of her shoulder absently as it throbbed with an annoying ache. “And I wanted to pick your brain about your trip to Cali.”

Brandon shrugged. “It wasn’t much you know. The weather was nice but I found myself missing Derry.” He chuckled when she offered a look of disbelief. “What? I can’t miss my hometown?”

“I honestly thought that you would just stay out there and forget about this dinky old town.” She sighed, “I’d like to.” Eliza folded her hands upon the table and tugged the menu away from Brandon. 

He let her steal the laminated piece of cardstock while he nodded at her observation. “It wasn’t like I was rearing to leave this place before. I like my job at the bank and I take my vacations when I get antsy. Besides, I couldn’t just leave you here all alone.” He winked at her as she slowly put the menu up between them. 

Eliza rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “Okay, sure, because I’m a real big reason to stay in Derry.” She scanned the menu before jerking nearly five feet in the air when his foot pressed against her ankle. She eyed him over the menu and noted that his eyes looked dark, she knew the look on his face and she was unsure of how she felt seeing it upon her friend. “Sorry, I’m a little jumpy…”

He leaned towards her over the table and grinned. “Do I make you nervous Eliza? Don’t you remember high school? You were never shy around me, jumping into my arms full of smiles and laughing, both of us covered in sweat after every track meet.” He looked at her with heat in his eyes. “I wonder why we never- you know-“

Eliza’s brows rose into her hairline and she shook her head. “Brandon, please tell me you are not hitting on me right now? I wanted to have dinner with a friend not whatever you thought this was.” She searched his face as saw something like shame and frustration dart over it. 

Brandon cleared his throat and leaned back to fold his hands into his lap. “Oh...I thought I had made myself fairly clear. I find you attractive, and honestly I’ve been wanting to go on a date with you since we were in track together.” He looked sheepish then, reeling back the unwanted forwardness he was pushing towards the florist. His eyes still looked hungry though and she knew that if given the go ahead he would do everything in his power to get her to go home with him tonight. 

Eliza slid her feet further away from him until they were tucked under her chair. “No, that was not made clear to me.” Her cheeks were bright red. “And I had no idea that you felt like that about me Brandon. Personally, I never even saw you as a potential boyfriend or-“ She held up a hand quickly when his face grew dark. “No, listen. I really just thought that you were a good friend, I had pretty much given up on guys then. No one had shown any interest and if they had, the idea that my football jock of a brother would kill them turned them way off.” Eliza took a deep breath and looked at the man across from her carefully. “So...I did not think my friend from track who constantly told me I looked like a chicken doing hurdles had a thing for me. And not once did I think that as an adult he would be hitting on me.” 

Brandon looked a little miffed, “Well, now you know.” He sat forward and his smile crept back onto his face. “So, how about we make this a date huh? You know I’m interested, you aren’t seeing anyone right, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t.” He reached out and put a hand on the table to take hers.

Eliza scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “I don’t think that that’s the best idea Brandon, I actually invited someone else here tonight because I thought that this was just a _ friendly _ get together.” She smiled apologetically when his expression grew sour. “I don’t know if you had classes with him, uh, his name is Robert Gray.” Eliza watched as he searched his mind for the name and was looking to come up empty. “He- Well, speak of the devil.” Eliza’s face lit up like Christmas upon seeing her invited guest.

Robert Gray walked into the bar and made a beeline for Eliza and Brandon’s table. Robert’s eyes were not for Eliza at the current moment, as much as she would have enjoyed that, instead they were trained on Brandon who seemed to have no recollection of Robert’s existence beyond the man now before him. No words were exchanged between the two men, then, as if it all snapped into place Brandon’s eyes went wide with recognition.

“Oh, yeah, Robert...You were in my history class.” He stood up and offered a hand for Robert to shake, which he did. “You didn’t talk much but you were quite the teacher’s pet.” His hazel eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled at the taller man. Eliza knew that he felt threatened and jealous as the smile reminded her more of a grimace than a joyous expression.

Robert stared at him with his bright blue eyes and released Brandon’s hand as quickly as it would be socially acceptable. “I spoke when it was necessary, I did not have many friends but I prided myself in being an exceptional student.” He pulled a chair over from another table without looking away and sat himself down equidistant from both Eliza and Brandon. “Knowledge is power.” He flashed his teeth, words and expression dripping with threat. Brandon drew back and practically dropped into his chair. Then his eyes were for her, they were glowing with amusement and excitement. His expression was playful now and it seemed that his whole demeanor changed when he looked at her. “Your dress is stunning. Red really is your color.”

Eliza looked down at herself and immediately felt confident in what she was wearing. Her cheeks flared with color and her fingers curled in her hair. As quick as she had touched her hair, Robert was reaching over to push the long curling mane over and behind her shoulder, eyes trailing over her neck. He still betrayed nothing but amusement on his face and in his eyes. “Thank you Robert.” She felt breathless, like he was stealing all of her oxygen by just being near her. “You do not look bad yourself, and your red sweater matches my dress.” 

He tapped a finger to his chin while he took his gaze from hers to glance at the forgotten Brandon. “Well, I just thought that since red is your favorite color and since it was your birthday, I would dress with you in mind.” Robert eyed Brandon’s outfit in humor and grinned, making the other man shrink a little. “He looks nice too though doesn’t he? Not a trace of red but for that embarrassed blush on his cheeks.” 

Brandon grit his teeth and opened his mouth to defend himself then derailed his words in order to change the subject. “I see that you got a new bracelet Eliza, did your mother get you that?” The banker took a few deep breaths through his nose and tried to ignore Robert’s eyes cutting into his face. The blonde even dared reach across the table to slide the tips of his fingers over her wrist near the piece of jewelry. 

She smiled warmly and turned her wrist over, goosebumps spreading up her arm at his touch. “Actually, Elijah and the girls got it for me.” Eliza fingered the little teapot charm and giggled. “It’s the nicest piece of jewelry that I own. I hardly buy anything for myself that isn’t absolutely necessary. I love it.” She looked across the table at him and reached over towards him so that he could see the bracelet in more detail. The cold pit in her stomach that she had felt when Brandon had flirted with her was gone, replaced with a warmth in her chest at Robert’s presence. Even with the warm fuzzy feeling the man to the right of her was providing, she did not miss the over abundance of touching that Brandon did as he looked at the charms on her bracelet.

Each time Brandon laid a finger on her wrist Robert flinched, tensing as he leaned closer to their outstretched arms. “Do the charms mean anything?” His tone was tight. “A teapot, cupid, a key, and a thimble? I assume the ruby is simply about red being your favored color.” He tilted his head as he focused on Brandon’s fingers. 

Eliza found Robert’s movements reptilian in nature, the way he looked at the bracelet. “Well…” She took her arm back from Brandon’s grasp and Robert physically deflated. “The thimble is because I used to love sewing all of my Halloween costumes myself. The teakettle is probably because when I was seven, I whacked Elijah over the head with a teapot because he was teasing me about something.” She smiled when she saw the key. “This one is for the wardrobe that Elijah locked me in when I was ten. He threw the key in the bushes and couldn’t find it when Mom yelled at him to let me out.” She laughed, “I ended up kicking my way out, breaking the door and shattering the mirror on the front of it.” 

Brandon reached over and tugged the little Cupid as he gave Robert a testing glance. “What about this? Something about love or valentines?” He arched a brow and tapped the underside of her wrist as he watched the other man. 

Eliza pulled her arm away from him with a smile and shrugged. “The girls probably picked that one out. Probably wishful thinking on their part.” The florist arched her brow and folded her hands into her lap, unwilling to have Brandon’s hands on her wrist any longer. She looked around then cleared her throat. “We should probably order something huh?” Eliza flagged a server down then ordered a hard cider and potato skins. “Boys?” Robert passed on food and drink while Brandon got nachos and beer. 

After they had ordered, the air between the three of them was thick with the testosterone the men were throwing around and the predatory smiles they were trading. Eliza was not a huge fan of the fact that she was beginning to feel like an object to be fought over. It was making her dizzy and it was not how she wanted to spend her evening. Eliza excused herself to use the bathroom, preferring to escape while she and Brandon waited for food than try and defuse the hostility between the two men.

In the bathroom, Eliza simply looked at her appearance in the mirror. Robert had pushed her hair back away from her shoulder but the bite mark was still covered nicely by her high collared dress. She went to pull the hair back over to hug her neck but shook her head and decided to let it slide. If a small bit of bruise showed they would not notice. She followed through the motions of a visit to the bathroom, even checked her makeup so that she could give the food time to get there or at least to shorten the time until it did. 

Outside the bathroom, she nearly ran into Butch exiting the men’s room. He blocked her path to the bar, one arm outstretched to touch the wall of the narrow hallway while the other was slipped into his pocket. “Not often I see you out and about Miss McLaughlin, always locked up in that flower shop.” He stunk of cheap beer and cigarettes, his breath hitting her in these close quarters. “You walk here?” His eyes narrowed.

Eliza frowned, “The shop is not that far from here. It’s a nice night.” Her voice shook and she took a step back as he walked closer to her. 

“Miss McLaughlin, you shouldn’t be walking about so late at night,” He leaned over her with a smirk. “I would be happy to give you a ride home after your dinner with Mister Franco. What do you say? You could even invite me in to check the perimeter, so you can feel safe.” His tongue ran over his bottom tip. “I never found it right that you were living all alone without a man.” He took another step towards her and the feeling of being backed into a corner made her bristle.

“No thank you Officer Bowers.” Eliza took a step back towards the man with an irked expression on her face. How dare he back her into a corner, he was supposed to be a man of the law, make people feel safe and here he was preying on her. “And actually, Butch, I think you might have had too much to drink yourself...maybe you are the one in need of an escort home? I could as Mister Franco to get you safely back to your son.” She watched as his expression soured, realizing that she would not be cowed by him. “Now if you will excuse me.” Eliza ducked under his arm quickly and did not look back to see what he did in the face of her escape. 

Mister Franco was nowhere to be seen when Eliza arrived back at the table, Robert sitting in the seat he had apparently vacated. “Where?” She looked around the bar and did not see any sign of her original dinner partner. She returned her eyes to Robert who offered her an apologetic smile. 

“I think that I might have said something to anger him. I honestly did not mean for him to leave, I was just telling him how much I enjoyed your company and how we sat and talked for hours yesterday at your shop.” He waved her to sit back down and motioned to her bottle of cider and beer before himself. “He left just as the server set the drinks down. He’s quite a rude man Eliza.” His blue eyes drew her in and he smiled as she sat back down. “Before you ask it, our conversation yesterday came up because Brandon wished to know when you had invited me as he had been sure that this was a date…” His eyes were dangerous then, possessive and greedy for a moment.

She shook her head and chuckled nervously. “He had the wrong idea about tonight, this was just supposed to be a nice dinner with friends.” Eliza played with the bottle cap on the table, looking towards the exit in hopes that maybe Brandon would return. The woman had to wonder though, did she want him to come back at all? She had jumped at the invitation to have dinner with Robert and had only invited him here because she had remembered that she had previous plans. Meeting his gaze sent her mind spiraling places it should not and she tried to wash the images away with a swig of her cider.

“No matter Eliza, I still want you to have an unforgettable night.” He slid his hand over hers and tilted his head with a mischievous glimmer in those baby blues. “Let’s say we take the food to go and return to your home. I do not like the way that officer is looking at you and i do think we would have a much better time without all of these people watching us.” He grinned. “Tell me you agree.”

Eliza lowered the bottle from her lips, it felt like there was a little ball of flame in her chest trying to escape out of her mouth. Why was she so drawn to him? He was like a Venus fly trap, he had caught her the moment she had seen him at the end of Elijah’s driveway and now she was being swallowed up whole. The problem was, she did not want to free herself. “Yes.”

“I’m so glad you agree Eliza.” His grip on her hand tightened as a plate of nachos and a plate of potato skins were set down. “Can we get these take-out please? My _ friend _and I have decided to take this birthday celebration elsewhere.” His eyes remained fixed on the near hypnotized woman before him as he instructed the server who only nodded and took the plates back to put them in a box. “Easy-peezy.” If she had been in her right mind she might have acknowledged the fact that his eyes flashed a bright yellow when he spoke with excitement. “Finish your cider before we go Liza, we don’t want it to go to waste.”

She nodded then did as he had instructed, brining the bottle to her lips as he watched her. _ Something was wrong. There is something wrong with this, with him. _Her mind fought her but deep down she knew that she was going to go home with this man, that she would let him inside of her home and let him do anything he wanted. 

_ Tonight will be perfect my dear Eliza~ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter may contain: Nachos, Flowers, and Shirtless Robert Gray.


	8. Birthday Surprise 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They don’t eat the nachos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahead!

_ Thursday, October 27th, 1988 _

The brain fog which Eliza had walked through until she reached into her purse to pull out her keys was thick. She was unsure if they had walked to her home from the bar or if they had driven. If not for the fact that there was no car in her driveway she might have humored the idea of driving a little longer. Knowing they had walked here was worrying though, she did not remember the journey to her front door at all. “I must have drunk too much…” Eliza said this more to herself than to the man looming behind her but he offered a smooth laugh in response. She was still fumbling with the keys as she stood in Robert’s shadow when he reached around her, took the key and unlocked the door. 

It pushed open with an ominous creaking and she looked over her shoulder to give him a smile as she stepped inside and glanced around to make sure the house and shop were presentable. Nothing was out of place and the golden glow of the lamps she had left on when she left only gave enough light to get around by. The little bit of dust she had not cleaned up or stray flower litter was hidden in the dim light.

The door clicked shut behind her and she looked back when she heard the deadbolt slide home. Robert was leaning against the closed door with a blank look upon his face. In one hand he held the two takeout containers, the other still held the handle to the front door. 

“Are you debating whether this is a good idea or not?” Eliza wrapped her arms around her middle while searching his stoic expression. He did not look happy, sad, pleased, or amused. The fog in her mind was lifting rapidly in response to his stillness and she was beginning to feel a nervousness about the situation she was in. Perhaps _ she _should have been debating this idea to bring him home with her. “Robert?” Her voice shook and she laughed at herself for being so nervous and getting cold feet. Robert was a nice guy, she’d known him since she was little right? So why was this so difficult?

Robert who had been looking slightly past her, redirected his gaze so that he was looking at her directly in her big brown eyes. He smirked, “My mind was somewhere else.” He leaned away from the door and looked around the room slowly. “I did not notice before, but your shop smells amazing. It must be all of the flowers.” His eyes landed back on her as he shifted his feet. 

Eliza smiled and relaxed her shoulders. “Everyone says that, but I’ve almost become nose blind to it you know?” She played with her hair, waiting for something to happen. He had gotten her home, they were alone, that could only mean one thing for men, right? “My brother tells me that I’m lucky though, says I can save a fortune on perfume because I always smell like roses.” She bit her lip to stop herself from giggling like a schoolgirl.

His lips twitched and his eyes looked hungry. For once since the man had come back into her life she felt fear. “You do smell absolutely delightful, though I dare say that it is not just the _ roses _.” She saw as his fingers curled tightly at his side before loosening. He licked his lips. “How about we head up to the kitchen? We can settle in and eat these yummy little appetizers.” The man grinned and began to approach the shorter woman. “What do you think Eliza?” His continued approach had her backed up to the front counter, his arm reaching to settle on the edge as he set the food down on her other side. He had caged her against the wooden desk, his body pressing dangerously close to hers. She wouldn’t have let Brandon get this close if he had tried, she must have wanted Robert to be as close as he was now. “Unless you think we should skip to dinner?”

“Dinner?” Her voice was a whisper as he crowded in closer, his hips pressing her back. 

Robert snickered and leaned his face down next to hers. “Oh yes…” His tongue lolled out and licked the shell of her ear. She would not see it, but his tongue would have looked impossibly long as it reached to trace her ear. 

Eliza gasped and pushed her hands hard on his chest to slide him away as a blush flew up over her face. “O-oh! D-dinner…” She chuckled and turned to the counter to grab the Togo boxes. “I don’t know...that wouldn’t be right. Brandon-“

Robert curled his body over hers and reached to remove her hair from her neck. His long fingers traced exactly where her bruise was and she shivered. It was not a motion of pain or fear but of longing. “Forget about him.” His voice was a hiss in her ear. Robert’s fingers continued over her neck but they felt soft...satiny. 

Eliza spun around too quickly, her hands still locked around the to-go boxes. At his close proximity nacho cheese, chips, peppers and meat and potato skins crunched and popped out of the boxes onto his shirt and down his front to the floor. She was unsure what she had expected to find upon turning but the pounding of her heart from her humiliation was deafening in her ears. Robert wore a tight-lipped smile on his handsome face, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he blinked at her.

“Oh my god!” Eliza’s hands flew to her mouth as she looked in horror at the mess the nachos had left on his nice red sweater. “Oh, lord...I am so so so sorry Rob.” She reached out with quick action and tugged his arm so that she could pull him down the hall. 

His long legs stepped easily over the mess on the floor and he laughed. “What a strange way to enjoy appetizers, Eliza.” He grinned, slipping his hand out of his pocket so he could be more easily totted to where she wished to take him. “Better out than in? Is that the expression?”

“Oh hush.” Eliza’s face was bright red as she led the man into the design room. “You can make fun of me _ after _ I save your sweater.” Once through the door, Eliza let the man go so that she could head to the sink and start running the water. While the water ran she grabbed two rags out of the cabinet and a bottle of vinegar. She set the bottle in the sink and waved her hand to him from the sink. “Shirt! Stat!” 

The sound of crickets was sure to be heard behind her as Robert looked at her then down at his shirt that was dripping bright yellow cheese onto the concrete floor. He opened his mouth in slight confusion as to what she was planning to do then decided on doing what the woman said. She obviously knew what she was on about. Carefully, face blank, eyes full of curiosity, Robert handed Eliza his sweater. “Is this usually how your evenings go for you, Eliza? With men shirtless in your home?” He snickered at her and only grew in volume as he could practically feel her embarrassment.

“I umm, I can’t say that they do.” Wiping away the cheese and gunk from the shirt she then dabbed at the spots with a rag wet with vinegar and water. “Most nights it is just me and my tv, I have been trying to get back into reading though.” She was not going to tell him that all of the books that she had on her shelf were gifts from Annie who thought that she wanted to read a bunch of romance novels with Fabio on the front. “I don’t usually make it a habit to have friends over...or to strip them of their clothes.” Eliza wanted to look over her shoulder, to see what he looked like right now as he stood in the middle of the design room.

Her guest smiled. “I must be quite lucky then.” He slid his hands into his pockets and began to walk around the room while she worked on his shirt. With careful steps, he avoided the discarded stems and the stripped thorns and leaves from a myriad of different florals. Glass vases, pots, and containers lined the walls in waist-high shelves. Wires, ribbon and premade bows littered the tops of them. He picked up a little plastic pic that said ‘Happy Birthday’ then replaced it and grabbed one that said ‘Merry Christmas’. Robert twirled it around between his fingers then set it down in favor of opening a box of needles with faux jewels and pearls at the top. 

Eliza was humming to herself now as she filled up the sink to hand-wash his shirt. She was not going to let him leave with a stain on his shirt. The thought had not crossed her mind yet though that it was very unlikely he would be wearing this shirt to leave tonight. The red wool would need to air dry for a bit before he could slide it back over his pretty little head and body. 

Robert continued on in his journey of exploration, tapping his nail on a few vases as he passed them to get to the other side of the room. He looked at the floral foam and wire stands, the impressive stack of five-gallon buckets in the corner and the helium tank next to it. He found himself lost in thought, wondering what all of these different things were used for, wondering what she did to prepare an arrangement of flowers with all of the trimmings. He wanted to know why the floor was absolutely covered in unused cuttings. As he walked he nearly tripped on a dip in the floor. Robert grimaced, it was odd for him not to have been paying attention. With a frown, he looked at the offending dip and found a little grate in the center of the room. 

> _ “I heard it was your birthday!“ _
> 
> _ “I’m this many! I’m five!” _

“Uh-oh. Looks like I’m stuck Eliza….” Robert whispered with a little giggle. His eyes flashed yellow as he looked down at the drain. He quickly closed his eyes and tried to quell the giggles that wanted to bubble out of his throat. Eliza had turned around when she had heard him speak but she was unsure of what had been said. 

“Did you say something Robert?” He had his back to her when she turned, his head was bowed and his hands were covering his mouth. She turned fully away from the sink, sweater floating in the water. “Are you ok?” Her eyes dropped to where he was standing and she paled. “What’s wrong, did you see something? Hear something?” She walked towards him quickly and grabbed his arm with a wet hand. 

He spun around to face her and grabbed her face, smashing his lips to hers, eating up her next words with the ferocity of his kiss. The kiss was full of teeth and tongue. He kept her lips pressed to his as he tried to climb his way into her mouth through their connection. He bit her lips and sucked on her tongue when she gave in to him and allowed him to do what he pleased. He groaned as his tongue danced in her mouth and he pulled her body close to his. Robert felt a shiver pass over him as she relaxed, returning his sounds with a moan of her own. The man kissed her lips until they were raw and bleeding in at least one spot.

Eliza gasped for breath and turned to look to the side like she could fend off another attack of his mouth with just that. Spit from the messy kiss dribbled down her chin and she wiped it away with the back of her arm. “Robert wh-“ He turned her back towards him and kissed her once then twice more, each kiss becoming more tame, less hungry. “Please stop Rob-“ Eliza tried to push him away with a pitiful amount of force. She was smiling though, giddy with the attention he was affording her. Her fingers splayed out on his chest as she pressed for him to back up a little. Really she just wanted to be able to breathe again. 

Robert released her after gliding the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip. He tilted his head to the side as he watched her catch her breath and begin to laugh. “Do you really want me to stop Eliza?” He looked at her closely, fingers dancing over her shoulder and the bite beneath. He watched as she took in his form, his bare chest drawing most of her attention. Robert smirked. So easy to lure, to trick. A pretty face, an attractive body, some honeyed words and he’d gotten his prey. “Tell me to stop and of course I will.” His fingers found the zipper at the back of her dress. and unlatched the top before he began the process of tugging the tab of metal down. “I’m waiting _ Eliza _.” He growled out her name seductively and she shivered.

Eliza found that she could not speak, she could not say no, she could not say yes. His grin spread over his lips and she felt he knew that she could not respond as he finished unzipping the back of her dress completely. She bit her lip and looked up through her lashes at him. It had been a really long time. It wouldn’t be so bad. Just one night? Surely Robert would give her more than just the one. He wouldn’t just disappear after he got what he wanted. The man in question took her silence as yes, there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes then and he picked the florist up and set her up on her design table. 

A black flat slid off of her foot and he bumped the other foot playfully so the other would fall as well. Eliza smiled bashfully as he stepped between her legs, pushing her dress up to her hips. He pushed her hair away from her shoulder and bowed his head to pepper kissed over her neck. “Mmmm, you smell so good, Eliza…” Carefully, so that he would not spook her, he slid her dress open from the back and pushed it down her arms so that he could access the expanse of her bruised shoulder. Robert did not bother asking about the bruising, he was less concerned about appearances, he knew what it was. Drool dripped out of his mouth as he leaned in and laved at the marks on her perfect caramel skin. “So good…” His lashes fluttered and he began to suck on the already bruised skin.

Heat spread through her body, exploding in her chest then settling in her core. Eliza squirmed and pulled the man closer to her with her stockinged feet. He didn’t comment on the bruising, probably so that he did not ruin the moment, perhaps now he was kissing her better. She giggled at the thought then sucked in a breath when he bit her lightly. She moaned like a whore and threw her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. Robert shook his head and pulled her dress down so that both of her arms were caught in it. She would not be able to cover her mouth or really push him away for that matter. His hand traced over her skin tickling her as he followed the curve of her bra. 

Robert leaned back as he reached around to unhook her bra, pushing it down her arms until it rested with the top of the dress at her elbows. “I wondered what you might look like all grown up.” His voice was gentle then, even with his eyes blown wide with arousal she could see something _ sad _ there. He touched her chest and leaned back in to capture a pert nipple between his lips. She sighed and dug her heels into his back, wanting to feel the pressure of him against her. He obliged and pressed his groin flush with hers. He could feel the heat radiating from her core and he groaned. She was so full of life, of light. He wanted all of it, all of her. 

Eliza dropped her head back as he cradled her, grazing his teeth over her nipple before treating the other the same. Her breathing hitched and her skin felt tight. “Robert please.” He chuckled, trailing kisses up her sternum before capturing her lips again with his own. 

“Please, what?” He whispered after releasing her lips. His eyes were like gateways into some dark place and she felt herself getting lost in them. He smiled and ground his hips into her so that she might remember why she had begged him.

She offered him a scathing, yet heated glare then tightened her legs around him. “You know what I want Robert, and I can feel you want it too.” 

He narrowed his eyes then grinned, stepping back from her briefly so that he could fully drag her dress down her body and into the floor. Robert caressed her legs, enjoying the softness of her sheer pantyhose. He thought he might rip them off but then again, it might be a little off-putting, too forceful. The man settled for lifting her hips up and sliding them off of his not too patient little lover slowly. Dress, undergarments, and hose on the floor, Eliza sat before him on her design table bare for him to see. He marveled then on how beautiful she looked. The thought nagged at him but he was too caught up in the game, the act. 

Eliza saw him looking at her and decided she wanted him to stop ogling and touch her. If she were honest with herself she would say that without a doubt she was touch starved. She decided that she would entice him if he insisted on standing so far away. Eliza spread her legs so that he might see how she glistened for him already so that he could see what he was doing to her and make up his mind to do something about it. “If you would come over here we might both feel something nice tonight.” Her cheeks reddened with the cheese she was spouting but it worked. 

He reached down and undid his belt, sliding it out of his pant loops and laid it next to her on the table. Robert stepped forward, and slid a finger through her folds, it was a light touch, teasing, but it made her gasp in pleasure. “Take me out.” He delivered it like a demand, and so as Eliza watched him bring his finger wet with her arousal to his lips she reached forward and unzipped his slacks. He sucked on his finger, savoring her taste as Eliza reached into his pants and drew his length out. Robert grunted as she spit in her hand and began to stroke him though he was hard enough as it was. He removed his finger from his mouth and replaced her hand on him with his own. “Did you want this yesterday when you invited me to dinner tonight? Did you see us here Eliza?”

She shook her head but quickly nodded. “I don’t know...I think I did.” 

He grinned and stepped close, readying himself as he stepped between her legs. He slid the blunt tip of himself along her folds and watched with amusement as she squirmed. “It isn’t always easy to know what you want Eliza, lucky for you...I know,” he lined himself up, “exactly what I want.” Robert was halfway into her heat when Eliza looked frightened then pressed a hand to his chest.

“Wait!” Still on the desk with her soon to be lover between her legs, Eliza hastily searched her purse on the corner of the table for a little foil package. When she sat back up and handed the package to Robert he looked at her as if she had slapped him in the face. “I just...I...I want to be careful. If you don’t wan-“

Robert’s lip curled in what she knew to be disgust but he ripped the package open and slid the condom over himself. With no more patience of his own, Robert buried himself to the hilt within her and set a relentless pace. His eyes rolled back as he slapped his hips to hers and she screamed for him. His rhythm was precise, even and without variation. The sounds she was making were glorious, almost as delicious as her screams. He would make her scream later. Now he would settle for her moans and her fingers digging into his back. 

Eliza’s voice was so loud in this room and her whole body shook with a combination of embarrassment and overwhelming heat. Wetness was pooling under her hips and he slid in so smoothly that she was never given a moment of reprieve, she was going to explode if he didn’t stop. She knew that the front of his trousers had to be wet with her arousal with how much she was dripping for him. She screamed out a gasp as a pressure that had been building in her core broke free. Eliza wrapped her legs around his hips and let her head drop back. She shuddered around him and he buried his face in her neck and bit down in response. 

With her body squeezing him, Robert had to restrain himself. He felt his teeth grow a little longer, a little more sinister as he bit down on the same spot he had before when he had been with her this morning. He felt her anxiousness at his biting and let up. “You feel so wonderful Eliza, so good.” He continued to slide into her as she came down from her high, intent on making her reach that peak again before himself. 

Wrapping his arms around her, he slipped her off of the table and instead leaned her over it so that her back end was pressed to him. Eliza smiled when he dipped his fingers into her wetness again eagerly tasting her before he slid back into her warmth. She was so blissed out, so high on endorphins that she did not ever feel the difference in the way he felt. Now shoved in his pocket was the condom he had previously worn. He had every intention of coating her womb with his seed, he would not allow some little barrier to stop him from achieving his goal. Robert encircled one arm around her middle while he slid his fingers into her hair with the other. He knew that she felt more with him bare like this, and the light within her felt so much more tangible without her barriers. 

Eliza wanted to drop her head to the table but his grip on her hair prevented this motion. He was going slower now, enjoying every bit of her. The room was filled with their breathing, her little moans instead of the relentless slapping of his hips. Robert was so warm behind her with his body pressed close to her back. With every thrust of his hips, he was careful to nudge the button of nerves inside of her, making her legs weak. It was a slow build he was driving her to and the heat building in her chest and core were near unbearable. “Robert…” He leaned over her and kissed her shoulder, the last bit of sweetness before he picked up the pace of his hips, now in the mindset to chase his own pleasure.

She swore when he next plunged into her, he reached deeper than she believed it was possible for him to and he did not stop. The pace he had set when she had been on the table did not hold a flame to the force of his hips now. If her design table had not been bolted down she knew it would have been shoved along with her. As it was the legs of the desk creaked with each thrust. She was in heaven, it might be a little painful in the morning but right now it was bliss. 

Robert’s kisses on her back became more sloppy as his grunting grew more uncontrolled and animal-like. Eliza was putty in his arms, he grinned, teeth a little too sharp, eyes a little too yellow. He could have his fun, fill her to the brim and consume her fully. Saliva dribbled out of his mouth at the idea of swallowing her whole. He was not done yet though, he was in for the long haul, he wanted to taste her when her fear was as tangible as her flesh and blood. He could wait, he could be patient. After all, he had waited this long.

When he felt himself about to come undone he redoubled his effort to stay in this form. It took so much energy not to just come unraveled. He would have killed her though, he knew that much. Without the buffer of Robert’s persona and charm, he would have picked up where he had left off this morning, unable to resist the taste of her skin between his teeth. 

Eliza felt her walls clench and tighten around his length felt her orgasm take all of her energy and sweep her legs from under her. But Robert held her there unwilling to let her fall to the ground, unwilling to slip out of her body. 

Heat filled her and spread through her when she felt him reach his climax. His whole body shook and he dug his fingers into her skin. The grip he had on her hair too became painful but their shared orgasm blocked that all from acknowledgment. He rode his wave of pleasure and spilled every ounce of seed he had to give inside of her. 

Her demeanor changed then as she recognized the feeling of being filled. She struggled under him, post-coitus bliss gone with the fear of what had just happened. 

“What? What’s wro-“ He feigned surprise as he pulled out of her then gasped in mock horror. “Oh no…”

Eliza spun around, legs still barely able to hold her. Her eyes dropped to his slowly softening length and watched as he removed a broken condom from himself. “Oh shit…” She whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this is late. I have Finals this week and I have been focusing on studying.  
I hope that this chapter makes up for it a little.  
I love ya’ll, thank you so much for all of the Kudos and Comments!


	9. Let's Do This Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I haven’t scared you off have I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Notes at the End~

_ Thursday, October 27th, 1988 _

Eliza stared at the damning evidence before her in horror. She was angry, scared, terrified. Her lips trembled and her legs still weak from what they had just done shook. “No, no, no.” Eliza pressed her hands to her cheeks and shook her head. “Goddamnit.” Her cheeks were bright red and her heart hammered tenfold what it had been just moments before. “Please no…” But there was no point in pleading for something not to have happened which clearly and obviously had. Her eyes were on the broken condom and the implications that it could hold.

“Eliza, it will be jus-”

Brown eyes met baby blue with a snap. She had almost forgotten that he was there in her panic. But of course, he was there for if he was not she would not be in this mess. “I- um- we-” She couldn’t think of what to say to him and so she didn’t. With a shifting of her hips, Eliza felt a slickness seep out from between her legs. She ran. Stumbling and tripping, the florist ran for her life up the stairs and into the shower. At that moment she didn’t care if Robert left and never came back, she didn’t care if that fucking clown came out of the drain and gobbled her up right now. All that she could focus on was getting as much of Robert’s semen out of her as possible. She knew that it was a fool’s errand, what would happen would happen, but right now it was all that she had. 

Eliza sat on the edge of her tub and scooped and rinsed as much as she could out as tears began to sting at her eyes. Why? Why did this have to happen to her? All she could see was Elijah looking at her in disappointment when he found out. He wouldn’t find out until she was morbidly pregnant of course, then he would call her a whore or berate her for not using protection even if she tried to tell him that she had, that the condom had broken. Like he would believe her. Her shoulders shook as she began to cry. That wasn’t true at all. He would be disappointed, but he would be there, he would take care of everything. 

But she couldn’t, the very idea of life growing inside her like cancer had her nearly scalding herself clean. She would rather fall down a flight of stairs than harbor a child in her womb. Eliza let the showerhead drop and water sprayed the sides of the tub, she lowered her head into her hands and sunk into the bathtub. “I’m fine. It won’t happen. I’m fine. I’m f-” Crying turned to full-blown sobbing then and she did not hear as careful footsteps made their way closer to her.

The door to the bathroom was open and Robert could only see the top of Eliza’s head as she curled in on herself in the tub. The grin upon his face was much wider than humanly possible, his teeth were sharp and his eyes a dangerous amber. Drool escaped his mouth and he felt his human facade crumbling the closer he drew to the woman cowering in the tub. A rumbling growl escaped him but she did not hear, oblivious to the danger directly behind her.  _ Beautiful, beautiful fear. How lovely she is-- tormented and fraught with worry. _ He shook and with every step he grew more hungry, more Pennywise than the handsome Robert Gray.

His hair grew long, red and coiffed, his suit enveloped his body and three orange poms sprung into existence one by one. He made a motion as if he were a surgeon snapping his gloves into place and so became the white silk over his long fingers. Pennywise wanted her to look his way, seeing him here so soon after and during her fright would make it perfect. The taste of her would surpass all others.  _ How would he ever find another to replace her? _ His grin shrunk for a moment but his hunger was strong. 

Eliza heard the jingle of bells just a moment before the phone began to ring. They had chimed just behind her but when she turned to look out of the open bathroom door, there was nothing. “Robert…?” Carefully, unwilling to take her eyes off of the door she had left ajar, Eliza turned the faucet off then stepped out of the tub. “Robert?” The phone continued to ring in the upstairs hallway though there was no answer from Robert. With water streaming over her skin and down her legs onto the carpet, Eliza made her way over to the mustard yellow phone on the wall and gently removed it from the receiver. “H-hello?” Her voice shook as her gaze darted up and down the darkened hall in search of the source of the bells she had heard seconds ago.

“It’s Eli, Liza. How was your date?” The man on the phone sounded gruff, like it had not been his idea to call, or perhaps that he had felt need to call in place of his wife banging on Eliza’s door at 5 am wanting details. She took her time answering and she heard the sound of the phone shifting in his hands. “Eliza? You there?”

Eliza shook out of the fog she was drifting into as her mind went back to why she was standing in her hallway naked and covered in water. “Y-Yeah, I’m here. It was good.” She curled her feet on the carpet and eyed the stairs. Was Robert still here? Had she scared him off by acting like a complete psycho? “It was nice. I-” His words bounced around in her mind then she rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a date.”

Elijah sighed and chuckled. “Ok, sure, how was your outing with Brandon?” She heard him settle into his chair and throw up the recliner. The line buzzed with static then cleared up.

Eliza batted at a droplet of water that was tickling her leg as it slid down. “It wasn’t bad, we ordered nachos… I had a cider. It was nice, nothing happened. He went home, I went home.” Nervousness overtook her and she could not help but pace towards the stairwell, stretching the cord as far as it would go.

There was silence on the other line followed by a laugh, “You know you can say that it was terrible if it was bad right? You don’t have to tell me it was good, you’d still be at the bar if it was good, talking it up, laughing and all that stuff  _ just friends _ do.” She rolled her eyes. It was easy for Elijah to fall into the groove of poking fun at his sister, but she let him. Talking to him, even as she stood naked in the stairwell was good. She could feel herself calming down a little.

A shadowed rounded the corner and stood at the foot of the stairs. Eliza jumped, nearly tumbling down them herself. “Eliza? Why did you run like that?” One by one the shadow took up the stairs until the light from the open bathroom door illuminated his worried face. Robert stopped his trek at the midway point of the stairs, seeming completely put together even with his shirt still soaking in the sink downstairs. “I thought we were having a wonderful evening you-”

Eliza held a finger to her lips but it was too late. “Is there someone there with you? That doesn’t- You said Brandon went home?” He put a hand over the phone for a moment and she heard him mumble out for Annie to go to bed. 

There was more mumbled bickering on the line and Eliza studied the man before her. She pressed her lips into a thin line then felt herself deflate. “I’ll call you back in the morning ok, tell Annie I said hello.” She shimmied back so that she could hang the phone up without waiting for a response from her brother. Eliza groaned and felt the embarrassment of being such a loon in front of the man she had just slept with. It had been good, really good then a few little things had set everything to danger mode. 

Robert wandered up the rest of the stairs and approached her like she were some skittish animal, though that was not far from the truth. “Who was that?” He did not truly sound interested but seemed to need something to say to break her out of her cowered demeanor.

She swallowed the spit building unflatteringly in her mouth and folded her arms over her chest. “It was just my brother Elijah. You...you met him the other night. Angry looking fellow in the driveway-”

“Right, the one I thought was going to physically abuse you.” His brow arched and his eyes roamed over her body. He could tell by the way she tried to cover herself and press her legs tightly together that she was trying to hide from his gaze. That, he did not quite understand. He had just been inside of her, the most intimate thing you could do as a person. And now she was hiding her body? He had just had her nipples in his mouth, she had liked it, all of it. His mouth twitched. “What did he want?”

She leaned against the wall, Robert seemingly to taking up more of a presence the longer he stood before her. “He was just checking in.” 

He nodded as a formality then got back to the matter at hand. “You ran off.” Robert crowded in closer, a hand reaching out to catch a drop of water on her shoulder. Eliza watched him study the drop then place his finger into his mouth. She was silent, watching as he closed his eyes briefly then removed the digit with a pop. Robert fixed his eyes on hers and cocked his head to the side. “Well? Why did you run? Weren’t we enjoying our time together?” The tip of his tongue darted over his lips. “You sounded like you did.”

Eliza blushed and ran a hand over her face. “I did- I was enjoying myself. I just...well I told you what I was afraid of yesterday then the condom broke and my mind just shut down, all I could think was the worst and I felt like I could feel-” She groaned then bit her lip. “I sound so stupid, everything was going so well then I act all crazy. I’m surprised you didn’t grab your sweater and hightail it out of here.” She looked towards her bedroom door, being naked was beginning to lose its luster.

“Ah, right.” He shrugged then offered her a grin. “But it wouldn’t be so bad, would it-- carrying my children?” 

Eliza blinked up at him then laughed nervously. “It would be the death of me. I would probably lose it, to be honest. And really, I’d rather not think about it.” Eliza slid past him desperate to escape and headed towards her room. “I’m going to get dressed. I think I can find you a shirt or something.” She was relieved to find that Robert did not follow her. She shut the door between them and grabbed up a T-shirt and night pants from her closet. She took her time getting dressed and finding him a shirt to replace his sweater. She liked Robert, but this whole situation had her on edge. Everything he did, no matter how odd seemed to draw her in, but tonight was not supposed to go like this. She wouldn’t have been against ending up tangled up with him like she had but the condom, her panicking. Eliza sat on the edge of her bed and looked at the long-sleeved button-up she’d found in her closet. It was Elijah’s but she was sure it would fit him alright.

Alas, she could not stay in here forever and she didn’t want to scare him away forever. He seemed like a nice guy, if not a little heavy-handed at times. Robert was sitting on the top step when she stepped out of her room deep in thought about something. She was quiet as she stepped across the carpet with her bare feet. “I found a shirt for you to borrow.” He didn’t respond and she sat down next to him on the step. “Rob?” Eliza placed the folded fabric onto his knee and he looked to the side at her. “It’s Eli’s, but as you can probably tell from the heavy scent of the closet, it has been here for a very long time. He won’t miss it.” 

Robert let his fingers glide over the surface of the green shirt and then without a word, he unfolded it and focused on unfastening it. He quietly donned the top and rebuttoned the pearly buttons. It did not look bad on him, a little big in places and too tight in others but good for temporary purposes. “I haven’t scared you off have I?” He met her eyes and loosened the cuffs of the shirt.

Eliza’s brow furrowed. “Um…” She sighed. “No, but tonight has just been a little…” She dropped her head to the side and picked at her fingernails. “How about we have a proper date some time? Next week? I’ll give you your sweater back, we can actually eat something.” She did not say that she would be picking up her birth control that she had been putting off getting as there had been no need for it. ‘ _ There was apparently a need for it now,’ _ she thought as she glanced at the man next to her. “We could meet at Jade if you like Chinese.”

Robert seemed to weigh all of this in his head then smirked. “Of course.” He stood up with a grunt. “Next week, Tuesday? We’ll meet up at the Jade of the Orient for dinner. Maybe we can see if something is playing at the Alladin hmm?” 

Eliza stood with him and followed the man down the stairs. “I would like that.”

Robert put a hand on the door and motioned to the mess on the floor. “Would you like me to help you to clean up?” There were chips on the floor and cheese splattered over the tiles. Her potato skins had stayed in the box miraculously and she wondered as an afterthought if she should try and save them to eat later.

“No, that’s alright. You probably need to get home and feed Penny right?” The little pomeranian was probably starving, wondering where her owner was.

Robert only looked confused for a moment then nodded at her. “Yes, of course, Penny hasn’t eaten all day. She only had a little this morning but not enough I should think.” He grinned as if he had told a joke then unlatched the lock before opening it. A gust of chilly air slipped in and made Eliza shiver. 

“I shouldn’t keep you for any longer than I have then huh?” Eliza smiled at him and chuckled when he walked back over to her and tilted her chin up. “What?”

Robert leaned in close, taking a deep breath through his nose as he did. “Don’t worry Eliza, we’ll see each other sooner than you think. I’m not quite ready for you to slip out from between my fingers.” His lips brushed hers and the little sigh she made only urged him to deepen the kiss. She tasted just like candy.

The smell of something temptingly delicious caused Robert to draw away. His eyes glowed amber but Eliza was still enthralled in the kiss, eyes closed and lips curled into a smile. He crept towards the door then briefly looked to Eliza. If he could not have what he wanted from her, then he would need to have something-- someone else for dinner. 

“Happy Birthday Eliza, you get to live another day.” 

Her eyes flew open as she heard the front door close and she went to open it back to say something else to Robert. But what was there to say? She leaned against the door and looked at the mess she needed to start cleaning up. Tonight had not been too bad. But in the morning she would call the pharmacy and pick up those pills. There wouldn’t be another freak out on her part like tonight at least, she hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is short and could have just been tacked on at the end of the last one.   
My apologies for the delay.   
I'm done with my classes for this semester and if things go well I am going to attempt two chapters a week. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	10. Christmas Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza’s first Christmas after meeting Pennywise as a child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I’d write something in tune with the holidays. 
> 
> ((Edited 1/1/20 ❤️))

_ Christmas Eve 1962 _

Eliza didn’t like it when mommy and daddy screamed at one another, but they always did on Christmas Eve. This was the only year she remembered it, as the years before she had been too little to pay attention. This year was different and not only did she remember it but the fighting was not about when the roast would be ready or why they were inviting cousin Martin over. The fighting today was about her. She sat inside watching through the living room window as Elijah built a snowman without her. He’d told her to come outside, but she’d seen a boy from class out there. He wasn’t alive anymore. She was fine in here with the coloring book that the nice doctor had given her last week.

The fight was about that very doctor. Mama had taken her to a man in Castle Rock that was supposed to have been the best child psychologist in the area. He was nice if not a little squirrelly. Eliza had liked him. He just let her color the whole time while he talked to her, and he had even started a puzzle with her. Mama had told her to be quiet about it, and she had, but the bill came in the mail yesterday. Daddy had found it this morning after breakfast on Mama’s desk, and he’d turned all purple in the face. Now he was screaming at Mama.

“My girl ain’t a freak Emily! She doesn’t need a god damned quack putting ideas in her head! She’s got bad dreams, she sleepwalks, it ain’t nothing we can’t handle ourselves!” He slammed his hand on the kitchen table and waved the little slip of paper at her mother. “You have no right driving all the way to Castle Rock without telling me. My dad take you out there? Does he know you're taking her to a doctor? Huh?”

Emily McLaughlin nee Shelton glared daggers at her husband and jabbed a finger in his direction. “She needs someone Walt! People don’t have a nightmare while their awake, she won’t even go to the funeral home right now. This morning she said she saw her friend from school outside. That little boy’s dead, Walt, got hit by a car while riding his bike this summer.” There was the sound of the dining table pushed hard to the side. “Walt!” 

Eliza’s daddy came through the kitchen door and knelt in front of the little girl sitting in his favorite chair. “Sweetheart?” He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled when she stuck her tongue out at him in greeting. “Tell me what you saw this morning, huh? Mama tells me you saw your friend outside?” He watched her face go pale and he frowned. “Now don’t tell me any lies, Liza.” He squeezed her small shoulder in his big hand.

Eliza pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I don’t wanna.” Walt wasn’t taking that answer, and he stared her down, unwavering. His hold on her shoulder was a little too tight, but he was still mad about this whole situation with the doctor. “I-I saw Frankie. He was playin’ in the road on his bike. You told me not to play there. I was gonna tell.” Eliza looked past her father to her mother in the kitchen doorway with wet eyes. “Mama said that Frankie went to heaven. She said, 'member. B-but he was there. I’m not lying.”

“Remember.” Walt looked over his shoulder at his wife then back to Eliza. “Could it have been someone else sweetheart? You just thought it was Frankie?” 

Eliza shook her head. “No, it was Frankie. He was right there.” She pointed out past Elijah’s snowman. “It was him, he had his green hat.”

“You didn’t see Frankie Eliza.” Her father squeezed her shoulder and nodded. “You saw someone else.”

“No! I’m not lying! I’m not-“ Her face got red and her fingers tightened on her crayon. “It was Frankie.”

Her father looked cross and his jaw did that thing it did right before he took his belt to Elijah when he did something wrong. “You did not see that dead boy,” Walt said this between clenched teeth. “Repeat it. ‘I did not see Frankie.’ Now.” She didn’t say anything along those lines as tears welled up in her big brown eyes. 

“M-ma-mama…” She looked at the small woman in the kitchen doorway for help. She didn’t want a spanking, she wasn’t lying, she was a good girl.

“Walter please don’t do this to h-“

“I said to repeat it! You will mind me Elizabeth!” He shook her shoulder. “Tell me you didn’t see that boy!”

“I saw him! It was him! I didn’t lie.” She was wailing now as her father crowded in close to her. Snot slid down towards her mouth and she wiped it up on her sleeve. “I saw him, Daddy!”

“Walter stop it.” Her mother walked forward and made to pull him back. He stood and turned to her before she could even touch him. 

“You do not tell me how to raise my kids, woman! She didn’t see no dead boy!” He looked back at Eliza. “You did not see him and if you tell anyone you did I’ll whoop you harder than I ever did your brother hear me?!” Her face was a mess of tears and snot, and she just nodded. “Good.” He looked at Emily now and shook his head. “You aren’t to go back to Castle Rock unless I’m with you, you understand?. She ain’t no freak. She’s got a big imagination and that's it.” 

“Walter plea-“

“No, this is what’s happening. You aren’t going to fill her head with anything either. She’s normal, just confused. That clown, ain’t real, she imagined it. New rule, anything happens that isn’t right, I hear about it first. And no, fucking doctors!” He yelled the last bit as he grabbed his keys and coat. “Go outside with Elijah—“ The little girl looked scared, and his eyes darkened. “You go out there and play!” 

Eliza got out of the chair and ran to get her coat and mittens, a sob shaking her words as she called out a ‘yes sir’.

Like her father had told her, Eliza went outside to play with her brother. Her father and the truck were gone when she got outside, and Elijah’s cheeks were red besides just with cold. Their father had probably yelled at him for something. Elijah looked Eliza over when she came down the steps and buzzed his lips to push back some feeling into them. “Why can’t you just be normal, huh?”

Eliza looked down at her boots and shook her head. She didn’t know why she couldn’t be normal. Everything that had happened to her was supposed to be normal in her mind,—nobody had said otherwise until recently. “I’m sorry, Ellie.”

He was quick to shook back with a-- “Don’t call me that,” then picked up a handful of snow and balled it up to launch at her face. The snowball smacked into the five-year-old's cheek, and she just sat down on the steps in defeat. “Don’t you dare ruin Christmas or- or-“ he fumbled for a threat then settled, “I’m not letting you be my sister anymore.”

Eliza’s face shot up and she cried. “You can’t do that! That’s not fair!” Her throat felt tight and her butt was getting cold on the brick steps.

“The fair fairy is dead!” Elijah threw another snowball towards her head, but the arch had been wrong and it struck her in the shoulder. “So you better listen.” She watched him bend down for another handful of snow and darted off the porch, running with eyes full of tears. “You get back here! Eliza! Stop it!” Elijah ran after her, dropping the snow in his hand. “Come back! Dad’ll kill me if you run away! Please!” 

Elijah ran off down the sidewalk to chase his sister and nearly had her after a few moments before she looked over her shoulder and saw him chasing her. She darted across Witcham towards West Broadway, and Elijah thought up all the curse words he’d heard his father spout off on occasion. “Eliza!” The boy stepped off of the sidewalk and felt himself fall as something wrapped around his ankle and yanked him back. Elijah fell face first onto the street and felt his jaw pop upon impact. He grunted as he lay there on the salty road. There was still pressure on his ankle and he twisted his body to see what had caused him to fall. When Elijah looked behind him there was nothing but his sock and boots around his ankle, and a run-off opening next to his foot. He sat frozen to the spot but only felt confused. Had there been a piece of trash— a bag or something that had caught him up?

Elijah shifted himself with a grunt. His chest and shoulder hurt, his knee felt twisted and more than that, what he had not thought of until that moment, he had lost sight of Eliza. He curled onto his side and edged closer to the drain to see what he had caught his leg on. The drain was dark, and he could see nothing. He couldn't have tripped on 'nothing' though, and he continued to lean closer. Maybe he had knocked whatever it had been down when he fell. Maybe he could just back away and keep going after his sister. His sister. His eyes grew wide and he remembered what he had been doing. But it was the darndest thing, he couldn’t turn away yet. He had to find the thing he had tripped on. He had to keep looking. Maybe if he reached down he could grab whatever it had been. A voice in his head told him that it was unwise and that what he had tripped on did not matter, that he needed to find Eliza. As soon as he had reached his hand into the darkened drain, something pulled him and caused him to crack his temple against the concrete edge. 

He was found later by his mother, passed out cold and chilled to the bone.

———

Eliza ran as fast as her little feet would carry her and ended up in between two houses on West Broadway. No one was about and the sky was beginning to be swallowed up again in clouds. Where before there had been some open sky with blue peeking through now it was dark. The radio had said it might be a blizzard, they’d get a white Christmas that was for certain. Eliza didn’t hear her brother coming for her anymore, but at least he had been with her. Now, she was alone. The street lamps had come on and the orange glow on the white snow reminded the little girl of the sunset, but it was not nearly so late. 

Her boots crunched in the three-day-old snow, now icy and not quite so fluffy. She felt her cheek where her brother’s snowball had hit her and frowned—it was tender. A stand made to hold firewood covered in a dark red tarp caught her eye and she approached it hesitantly. Her fingers were cold and she felt the need to wiggle them a little before she lifted the tarp and slipped under it. Maybe she could just stand there for a little. Elijah would find her eventually. He’d pinch her side and tie her hair in a knot, but he wouldn’t hurt her like daddy when he found out she had run away. She sniffled and looked down at her boots as she had done earlier.

“I’m normal.” Her face stung when she cried, the cold chilling her wet cheeks. “I did see him. Daddy just...he-“ Well she didn’t quite know why he was mad at her. She hadn’t told a story. Sure, she had told stories before, blaming the flour all over the floor on the cat or fibbing about wetting the bed. This wasn’t a fib though. The tarp crinkled as if someone was lifting it from behind her. 

“H-hello?” The little girl turned to look behind her at the stack of logs, wiping her face with the back of her red mittens. The sound of her sucking snot back up into her nose was all she heard, the crinkling gone. It was dark beneath the tarp, but her legs were lit up with the daylight coming in around its skirt. She would have been able to see something if it were there. She heard the crinkling again, behind her, but as she was looking at the woodpile now, it was not between her and the sound. She felt the tarp shift and her eyes grew wide. Eliza spun around and pushed out the tarp, slipping under and meaning to glare at her brother. “Don’t tease me!” 

There was but a snowman. Elijah was still back on the curb unbeknownst to her. The great man of snow, taller than her and much taller than her daddy or mama was turned away from her, only a few feet away from the firewood. It hadn’t been there before because she would have seen it when she had come over to hide. Eliza tugged on her cap and wiped her nose again, looking around for the kids who built it. There were no footprints in the snow but her own little ones. How did the snowman get there? 

The snowman in question was turned from her so the girl could not see its face. Her teeth chattered together as the wind blew violently. A puff of icy snow landed on her nose and only brought down more with it. It had gotten darker still outside, and she saw now that some people had plugged their Christmas lights in. She crunched forward in the snow and saw from behind that the snowman had a hat on his head, a silk one like Frosty was supposed to have. It hurt her little rosy cheeks but she smiled. “Frosty?” That would explain why the snowman was suddenly there. Maybe he was magic and had found her because she was sad. She giggled and ran around to the front of the behemoth of snow. 

The flurries were coming down faster now and she had to brush them off of her lashes. Eliza shivered but gasped in happy surprise when she saw the front of the snowman. Under the hat of silk was a happy face like the one from the holiday special. He had two coal eyes and a smile, a corncob pipe, and a big red button nose. The animation had been black and white, but she had always seen the scarf he wore as red because it was her favorite. In his mittened hand, he held a broom too, and she just knew it had to be Frosty. Enchanted as she was, Eliza did not seem to react as one should when a large being of snow shook itself to life. 

Puffs of bubbles went out of his pipe and he stretched his arms high, spinning the broom in his hand. Frosty stood up with legs she hadn’t noticed and kicked his big black boots together to knock off the snow. Her eyes were big as saucers and she ran forward to hug the big ole snowman. “Frosty!” She giggled, the icy snow burning her cheek as she hugged the snowman.

Frosty laughed and wrapped his arms around the little girl, picking her up and then set her back down on the ground. “What’re you doing out here all alone in the cold? Aren’t ya worried about catching the flu?” He laughed again, sounding just like the Frosty from the show. 

Eliza was thrilled as she shook her head. “Mama says that I’ve never been sick.” She smiled up at him and held out her hand. “I’m Eliza! And you’re Frosty!” She was practically bouncing before him. She ran around the living snowman and began to sing his song with unbridled joy. Frosty the Snowman in Derry. Elijah wouldn’t ever believe her. Or Mama. And Daddy would bend her over his knee for lying. ‘Specially after earlier. She stopped her singing and felt her eyes stinging with tears again. “But I didn’t lie…” Her world suddenly became less enchanting and she wrapped her arms around herself with a pout.

“Oh no. Why so sad Eliza? Don’t you want to be my friend? You were singing so nicely.” The snowman put a hand on her shoulder, his mouth a big ole painted frown. “Tell Frosty what’s wrong.” 

As if he had all the time in the world, he listened to the little girl divulge her whole life in fifteen minutes, completely out of order. “Well, that isn’t nice of them at all. And that naughty ole clown.” He tsked. “Did you ever think he wants to be your friend but just doesn’t know how to show it?” Frosty put his broom over his shoulder and blew a few more bubbles out of his pipe. “People don’t like it because you’re different right? Well, that makes you sad. Maybe that clown’s sad because you keep on running away from him?”

Eliza pressed her lips together into a thin line and stamped her foot. “He’s not nice! He scared me! He’d got big sharp teeth and mean eyes.” She frowned up at Frosty and took a deep breath. Her lungs hurt, it was getting too cold and the snow was falling in sheets. Her once rosebud pink lips were turning a dangerous shade of blue and her small frame was shaking. 

Frosty tilted his head to the side, thinking it over, and then he grinned a big scary grin. His mouth was now lined with at least two dozen sharp icicles. “Wha-“

“Sharp like these?” His voice wasn’t like in the show anymore and Eliza gasped. She could barely feel her legs and when she tried to step back her legs fell from beneath her. “Oh no, did I scare ya?” He laughed, his whole snowy body shaking, teeth clinking together. His coal eyes began to smolder on his face but did not melt the snow there even when flames lept over the black lumps of carbon. “I thought you were my friend!”

That was it, Eliza didn’t want to make friends anymore, friends were bad. The little girl scrambled up and started to run back towards home, only she forgot which way that was. She paused at the street, forced to make a decision when Frosty roared behind her. His arms had elongated and claws made of ice grabbed at the little girl running down the road towards Kansas Street. “Leave me 'lone!” She ran with stiff legs and then thought about what her mother said to do if she were in trouble. Elia turned and ran up the steps of a house and tried the door. It wasn’t locked so she went in and slammed the door. She fumbled to lock it back with her mittens covering her fingers. “Go away!” There was a pounding on the door and she screamed.

Eliza ran further into the house. “Help me! Help its coming!” It was cold in the house and there was no tree in the living room. There wasn’t a light on in the two-story home and she was beginning to think there was no one there to help her. 

She was right about no one being there to help her, but she was most definitely not alone. Long arms that smelled like popcorn and candy apples picked her up and spun her to face their owner. Pennywise the dancing clown grinned up at her with yellow eyes and drool cascading down his mouth. “I’m going to eat you this time, Eliza. This is the last time you run from me little one!” He laughed and shook her. “My dear little, Eliza, I wonder what you taste like~” 

“No! No!” She kicked her legs, catching the clown in the chest again and again. He was not deterred and began to open his mouth wide. Eliza shut her eyes and continued her struggle. “Friends don’t eat! Don’t eat me! Friends are nice!” She wiggled like a worm in his grasp and screamed as tears left her eyes. “Be nice!” 

“Open your eyes, Eliza~” He cackled, “We can be friends forever if you open your eyes!” His grip around the little girl’s arms was painful and his claws were slicing through her wool coat. “Open your eyes~”

She could see brightness past her closed lids, could hear screaming. “Pinky promise!” she wriggled as the light grew brighter. “Fr-friends forever w-when I open them! Don’t lie!” 

The clown released a gurgling cackle and the little girl thought she heard someone yelling for help. Something wet licked over her eyes, but she kept them squeezed tight. “I promisssss.” A clawed finger wrapped around her little pinky and tightened. “Now open up your eyes for your friend Pennywise~”

She knew he was lying, she knew he was going to hurt her no matter what, but they had pinky promised. She had to open her eyes— even if he didn’t keep his promise she had to keep hers. Eliza opened her eyes and saw the most brilliant light she had ever seen. Brighter than the Christmas lights outside, brighter than the star on the tree and brighter than the dentist office where her eyes always watered. Whatever the clown had intended for her she did not know, his mouth opened wider and he made an angered growling. 

_ Take it. _

Something told her to reach into his mouth past the rings of teeth past the pink flesh dripping with drool and grab the light. Unable to resist the temptation that the voice presented she shot her hand forward and snatched a little orb of light from the clown's mouth.

—————

_ Christmas Day 1962 _

Eliza sat in front of the Christmas tree staring into the lights like some lost soul. She was pale, sick, and wrapped in layers of blankets. She didn’t remember getting here, she remembered Pennywise, remembered their pinky promise and remembered the fantastical light in his mouth. After that, it was chill after chill. She couldn’t stay warm, and, no matter how many blankets she had, her body felt like ice. More than that, she found that she couldn’t speak. It was not that she didn’t want to answer people it just...did not seem possible or important. 

Mama had wanted to take her to the hospital, but her father wasn’t having it, not after yesterday’s news about the shrink. He had not even allowed her to take Elijah who she had found buried under a good layer of snow on the edge of the street. 

It was safe to say that today was not going to be a jolly affair, but her mother was determined. She had carried Eliza out of her bed and down the stairs to set her before the tree where she still sat now and helped Elijah from his bed to sit on the couch. Their father sat in his chair, smoking up a storm with the window cracked next to him. He’d have just as soon canceled this whole morning, but he knew that would mean admitting that something was wrong. 

Eliza reached out to touch one of the hot bulbs on the tree, but her mother batted her hand away and placed a gift in her arms instead. “The littlest one opens presents first, remember Elizabeth?” Her mother watched as the little girl focused still on the Christmas lights. She crouched down next to her and stroked her hair. “C’mon baby, open it for Mama? Please.” She sounded close to tears.

After a short spell but before her father could prickle too far, Eliza lowered her gaze from the tree and looked at the brown paper. She turned the package over and tore the paper quickly. A Barbie with black hair and a red coat stared up at her past the plastic barrier. Her coat looked like the one she wore yesterday. Eliza held the Barbie but was not really sure how to handle the situation past that. 

Mama patted her head and handed her another gift in hopes that it would spark something. Next, it was a baby doll with bright blue eyes and a little ceramic tea set. She watched Elijah open his presents with excitement and glee, watched as her father opened his and her mother opened a string of pearls. Even then, it wasn’t long before Eliza was back to looking at the Christmas lights. Her father almost turned the whole tree off but left it at the urging of her mother. They let her stare while they fixed Christmas dinner and waited for relatives to arrive. 

Surrounded by torn paper and toys, eyes fixed to the tree, she was the only one who saw the tree skirt roll up and reveals another gift. She could see the tag from here, ‘Eliza’ written in red crayon big and sloppy. She didn’t move, didn’t blink as the decorative paper of bright red unfurled and revealed a box. The girl couldn’t move and she couldn’t call out for help. The box shook and quivered and finally with a jolt the top popped off. 

Her chest felt warm like the cold in her body was being eaten away. It burned and was uncomfortable, but she found it better than the chills. Little porcelain hands gripped the box and pulled the rest of a body out of the little box. Before her was a jester, a clown, a fool— a foot high replica of her new forever friend. It’s little blue eyes rolled around, going from nice baby blue to mean yellow and back. He danced a jig in his silvery costume and came closer and closer.

“Oh? Where did that come from?” Mama came around the corner just as the doll fell to the ground. She looked at Eliza, still stunned to silence and scooped it into her arms. “Where’d you get this Eliza? Is this the friend you were telling me about huh? The clown?” 

Eliza did not answer her mother, but with eyes trained on the clown, she watched the orbs in its head flicker to yellow. She opened her mouth in a silent scream and ripped the doll from her mother’s arms. Quick as a bullet she ran to the front door, throwing it open she jettisoned the doll out into the snow. 

It was hand-delivered back to her that night as she lay in her bed with wide eyes by the life-size clown himself with a promise and a smile. 

She only remembered the smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all it is the holiday season and I am swamped.  
I’m sorry for taking so long to post but it really has just been insane.  
I love you all and I want you to know I’m not abandoning the story I’ve just been busy with family and work. 
> 
> Thank you guys!

**Author's Note:**

> I love your comments!


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